UNIVER 


OF  CALDFORNIA 
S  ANGELES 


THE  GIFT  OF 

MAY  TREAT  MORRISON 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

ALEXANDER  F  MORRISON 


The  Story  of  South 

Africa 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF 


THE  HISTORICAL  TRANSFORMATION   OF  THE  DARK  CONTI- 
NENT BY  THE   EUROPEAN    POWERS  AND  THE   CULMI- 
NATING   CONTEST    BETWEEN    GREAT    BRITAIN 
AND   THE    SOUTH    AFRICAN    REPUBLIC 
IN  THE  TRANSVAAL  WAR 


JOHN  CLARK  RIDPATH,  LL.D.    ..    .  ' 

Author  of  "Cyclopaedia  of  Universal  History,"  "Great  Races  of  Mankind,"  "Lifie  and 
Times  of  Gladstone,"  etc.,  etc. 

AND 

EDWARD  S.  ELLIS,  A.M. 

Author  of  the  "Standard  History  of  the  United  States,"  etc.,  etc. 


"  And  they  came  to  Opkir,  and  fetched  from  thence  gold." — /  Kittys,  io-i8 


(Topiousli?  3llu0trate^ 


WITH    COLORED    MAPS,    HALK-TONK  PORTRAITS,  SKETCHES,  SCENES    AND    WAR    PICTURES, 
IN  THK  BEST  STYLE  OF  REPRODUCTION 


C.  W.  STANTON  COMPANY 
Chicago. 


COPYKIGHT,    iSyg,    BY    A.    K.    KELLER. 


PUBLISHER'S  PREFACE 

The  recent  startling  events  in  Southern  Africa  have  already  evoked 
a  number  of  publications,  and  it  is  certain  that  many  others  will 
soon  appeal'.  The  history-making  instinct  finds  expression  in  both 
deeds  and  books.  Among  civilized  races  the  event  is  speedily  fol- 
lowed by  the  written  record.  In  proportion  to  the  importance  of 
the  crisis  is  the  eagerness  of  enlightened  peoples  to  read  in  the  delib- 
erate language  of  history  the  transcript  of  the  latest  episode  in  liuman 
progress. 

Truly,  the  xVfrican  game  is  great.  The  players  are  the  nations ; 
the  stake  is  a  continent.  Strange  that  the  historians  and  the  pub- 
licists, the  statesmen  of  Europe  and  America,  have  not  foreseen  the 
great  crisis  which  has  now  broken  into  war  between  the  most 
powerful  empire  in  Christendom  and  the  little  republic  of  the  Boers 
\     beyond  the  Vaal ! 

^  Thus  it  is,  however,  that  the  endless  chain  of  events  lengthens 

-     itself  through  the  ages.     History  slowly  prepares  the  antecedents 

of  the  greatest  transformations  and  no  man  lays  it  to  heart.     Not 

^    until  the  storm  of  revolution  actually'-  descends — not  until  the  roar 

^    of  war   is   heard  and  the   institutions   of   the  i^ast  begin  to  topple 

^    down,  are   men  able  to  perceive  what    is    going    on    around    them. 

"^    and  to  inquire  into  the  causes  of    the  catastrophe. 

>a  In  the  case  of  Africa,  centuries  of  time  have  been  beating  out 

the  problem,  the  solution  of   which  has  now  begun  by  the  arbitra- 

>^ment  of  battle.     It  were  not  surprising  if  the  historical  interest  of 

^  the  twentieth  century  should  center  in  that  continent  which  once 

had  for  its  conspicuous  actors  the  Egyptians  and  the  Carthaginians, 

and  which  no\v  has  for  its  contestants  the  Briton  on  the  one  hand 

and  the  Boer  on  the  other. 

427693 


PREFACE 

In  a  work  of  this  nature  the  aim  of  the  authors  has  been  to  do 
justice  to  l)oth  sides  in  the  conflict.  One's  sympathies  may  be  with 
the  Boers,  tbn  weaker  party,  for  the  world  cannot  fail  to  admire  the 
heroism  displayed  by  them,  nor  to  do  full  justice  to  the  civilized 
manner  in  Avhich  they  have  conducted  their  warfare.  No  one  has 
conceded  this  more  willingly  than  the  English  forces  arrayed  against 
them.  On  the  other  hand,  it  would  be  equally  unfair  to  represent 
this  war  as  an  act  of  wanton  aggression  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain. 
It  is  the  proud  boast  of  that  empire  that  she  extends  the  fullest 
protection  to  her  citizens,  even  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  earth. 
She  claims  that  such  protection  and  such  justice  are  denied  her  sub- 
jects in  the  Transvaal.  The  temperate  views  of  one  of  her  leading 
citizens  are  set  forth  in  this  work,  in  order  that  they  may  be  fully 
considered  by  the  reader.  It  would  be  idle  for  Great  Britain  to 
expect  that  which  she  has  received — the  ardent  support  of  Canada, 
whose  offers  of  volunteers  were  so  eager  that  the  mother  country 
was  obliged  to  decline  some  of  them,  and  of  Australia  and  her  other 
colonies,  unless  the  loyal  and  conscientious  subjects  in  each  and  all 
believed  that  right  and  justice  were  on  the  side  of  the  Empire. 

This  record,  therefore,  aims  to  be  fair  to  both  parties  to  the 
war  in  the  Transvaal,  and  to  record  the  achievements  of  each 
without  favor  or  prejudice. 

In  this  volume  the  effort  has  been  made  to  present  in  outline 
the  historical  transformation  of  Africa  during  the  last  four  centuries. 
To  this  subject,  the  first  section  of  the  work  has  been  given.  The 
narrative  in  this  part  extends  to  the  year  1895,  and  to  the  event 
of  Dr.  Leauder  S.  Jameson's  raid  upon  the  Boer  town  of  Johannes- 
burg. The  second  part  of  the  work  begins  with  that  incident  and 
follows  the  record  from  the  progress  of  events,  first  to  the  outbreak 
of  hostilities  in  October  of  1899,  and  then  through  the  vicissitudes 
of  the  war  to  the  date  of  publication. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 


Portugal  Colonizes  the  African  Coast.  Old  Africa— Circumnavigation — Hamites  First 
to  Form  Nation — Aryans— Alexander,  the  Great — Semites— Omar,  the  Great — 
Decline  of  Mohammedan  Power— Medieval  Africa — Early  ^laps — Fifteenth  Cen- 
tury Explorations — Portuguese  First  to  Colonize— Storming  of  Ceuta — Raising  of 
Flag — Prince  Henry's  Voyage — Discovery  of  Cape  Verde  Islands — Tangier— Find- 
ing of  the  Indies — Da  Gama — Beginning  of  Slave  Trade — Natives  Deceived — San 
Salvador — Founding  of  St.  Paul  de  Loanda — East  Coast  Annexed — Colonization 
Goes  Forward— Cape  of  Good  Hope  Neglected 17 


CHAPTER  n 

The  Portuguese  Ascendency.  Alfonso  du  Albuquerque — Commissioned  Viceroy  of 
India — Discovers  All  Water  Route  to  Coast  of  Malabar — Goa  Captured — Portugal 
Supreme  in  Sixteenth  Century — Angola — Portuguese  Discoveries — Portugal  Forti- 
fies Arguin  and  Cape  Verde  Islands— Large  Commerce  Developed — Slave  Trade 
— Patent  of  Charles  V — Encourages  Slavery — African  Gold  Found — Mines — 
Cupidity  of  Nations  Aroused— English  Fleet  Fitted  Out— Appears  in  Gulf  of 
Guinea — Captain  Windham — Capt.  John  Lok — Gold  and  Ivory  Finds — English 
Driven  Away — First  African  Company — Rising  of  Natives  against  Portuguese — 
Decline  of  Portuguese  Power — John  De  Castro — English,  Dutch  and  French 
Active— English  Sack  Faro— Portuguese  Trade  on  West  Coast  Destroyed — Rem- 
nant of  Possessions  Saved — Treaty  of  Vienna — Stations  Established  Along  the 
Zambesi — Present  Portuguese  Possessions 81 


CHAPTER  m 

The  Dutch  Enter  Africa.  Holland — Her  Maritime  Power— Rise  of  the  Netherlands — 
Bold  Navigators — Dutch  Attack  Portuguese  Possessions— West  Afric-a  Bciomes 
Prey  of  Dutch— Purchase  of  the  Island  of  Goree  — They  Fortify  It — Dutch  West 
India  Company — Capture  of  El  Mina— Axim  Taken  — Gold  Coast  Seized  and 
Fortified— Opening  of  Dutch  Trade — Dutch  Take  Up  Slavery — Slave  Monopolists 
— Netherlands  and  England  Join  Hands — Louis  XIV  of  Franco — Compact  Broken 
After  Death  of  William  HI— Holland  Extends  Her  Influence— Dutch  Establish 


CONTENTS 


Themeelves  at  Capo  of  Good  Hope  in  1652— Cape  Town  Settled— Hottentots— 
Natives  Driven  into  Interior— East  India  Company— Dutch  Desire  to  Be  Let  Alone 
-Taxation— Treatment  of  Natives— Hugenots  of  France  Join  Dutch— Boers 
Become  Rostivo— Exactions  of  East  India  Company— Dutch  Push  Forward- 
Clash  With  Katlirs— Orange  Free  State— South  African  Republic— Great  Britain 
Takes  Possession  of  Cape— Treaty  of  Amiens— Cape  Colony  Given  to  Holland- 
British  Again  Take  Possession— Congress  of  Vienna— Status  of  the  Boers— Lose 
Their  Statehood 47 


CHAPTEK  IV 

Great  Britain  Gains  a  Footing.  English  Colonization  Interrupted— Charter  of  King 
Charles  I— Trade  in  Gambia— Charles  II — English  Enterprise  Revived— Great 
Britain  Gets  a  Firm  Hold— Trouble  With  the  Natives— First  KaflBr  War— British 
at  Algoa  Bay— Grahamstown  and  Elizabeth  Founded— Elizabeth  Founded — Great 
Britain  Abolishes  Slavery — Boers  Incensed — Great  Financial  Loss — Opening  of 
the  Breach — Boers  Trek  to  Natal — Peter  Retief — Failure  to  Escape  English  Domin- 
ation—English Invade  Natal— Boers  Resent  Their  Arrival — Petitions  of  English 
— Allegations  of  Dutch  Injustice — British  Authority  Extended  Over  Natal— Rebel- 
lion— Sir  Harry  Smith— Boers  Defeated  at  Boem  Plaats— Spirit  Unbroken — Trek 
Again  to  North — Pretorious— Retreat  to  the  Vaal — English  More  Considerate — 
Dissatisfaction  With  Sir  Harry  Smith— Boers  Obtain  Control  of  Cape  Colony- 
Founding  of  the  Orange  Free  State— Convicts  Sent  to  Africa — Colonists  Protest — 
On  Verge  of  Rebellion — Home  Government  Recedes — Strange  Mania  Among 
Kaffirs— Thousands  Commit  Suicide — Opening  of  British  Kaffraria — First  South 
African  Railway — Public  Improvements — Diamonds — Kimberley — Cecil  Rhodes — 
His  Ambition— Basutos— East  Griqualand- Stanley  and  Livingstone — Philosophy 
of  African  Development 59 


CHAPTEE  V 

The  Share  and  Sphere  of  Germany.  Slow  in  Colonization — Geographical  Conditions 
Opposed — France  Far  Ahead— Great  Emigration— Insignificant  Settlements  in 
Seventeenth  Century — Abortive  Efforts  of  Germans  to  Invade  British  Territory — 
Formation  of  Societies— Exploration  of  Interior  Africa— Vast  Areas  Penetrated — 
Bismarck's  Plan— Great  Dependency  in  Congo  Valley — Colony  Agitation — 
Germany  Afraid  of  Special  Privileges — German  Fleets  Sent  Out— England  and 
France  Resist  German}' — Settlements  IMade  in  Liberia  and  Beuguela — German 
Factory  on  Bight  of  Benin — Treaty  With  Sultan  of  Zanzibar — West  Coast  Estab- 
lishments— Missionary  Posts — Clash  Between  Great  Britain  and  Germany — Better 
Understanding  Brought  About — Damaraland — Walfish  Bay— Germany  Asks  Eng- 
land's Assistance — Augra  Pequena— Germany  Hoists  Flag — England  Warned 
Away — Development  of  German  Southwest  Africa — Germans  on  East  Coast — 
Doctor  Nachtigal— Germany  Annexes  the  Cameroons  and  Tongaland — England 
Recognizes  Germany's  Claims 83 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTEE  VI 

France  and  Italy  Claim  Their  Portions.  Count  De  Brazza— His  Explorations— M.  Marche 
and  Doctor  Bailey -Settlement  of  Ogovo— Stanley  and  De  Brazza  Meet— De 
Brazza  Makes  Successful  Treaties  With  Native  Chiefs— Kintamo  Founded  by 
French— King  of  Belgium  Enters  the  Field— Equal  Rights  for  All— Belgium 
Sends  Out  an  Expedition— Authentic  Revelation  as  to  the  Interior— Berlin  Con- 
ference Made  Necessary— Portuguese  Pretentions  Ignored— French  Pressure 
Narrows  English  Claims— French  Get  Possession  of  the  Upper  Niger— French 
Plans— Railway  Schemes— Engineers  Sent  Out— Natives  Attack  Them— Tunis 
Seized  by  France — French  Protectorate  Declared— Bammako  and  Kita  Taken  by 
the  French— Native  Chiefs  Conquered— Italian  and  French  Achievements— Italy 
Given  a  Share  of  Africa  by  Berlin  Conference— Italians  Attempt  to  Take  Island 
of  Socotra — English  Resist— Gets  Footing  in  Bay  of  Assab— Italians  Approach 
Massowah  and  Suakim— Clash  With  Abysinnians— War- Menelek— Conflicting 
Claims— European  Sympathy— Erytrea  Established— Controversy  Between  Italy 
and  Great  Britain — Jub  Conceded  to  Italy 99 


CHAPTER  VII 

Congress  of  Berlin  and  the  Congo  State.  Claims  of  Germany  Make  Congress  Necessary 
— Jealousy  of  Nations — General  Grab  Made  for  African  Territory— Portugal 
Makes  First  Appeal  for  a  Conference— France  Agrees— Bismarck  Consents — Con- 
gress Organized  at  Berlin  Nov.  15, 1884— Sittings  Continued  Until  Jan.  30, 1885 — 
Document  Called  "  General  Act  of  the  Conference  of  Berlin  " — Results— Most  of 
Great  Nations  Sign  Document— Henry  M.  Stanley  an  Important  Figure— Enthu- 
siasm at  Congress — All  Eyes  on  the  Valley  of  the  Congo — Commercial  Vantage 
the  Impelling  Motive  of  Conference — "  Open  Door"  Decided  Upon— Neutrality  of 
the  Congo  and  the  Niger — Agreements  as  to  Trade — Vast  Territory  Thrown  Open 
— What  Constitutes  Colonization — Congo  Free  State  Formed — Protectorate  of  the 
King  of  the  Belgians  Declared— Recognition  Given  by  the  United  States— Colonel 
Strauch — France's  Claim  Inadmissible  —Leopold  the  Rightful  Possessor— France 
and  Belgium  Strike  an  Agreement — Area  of  Congo  Free  State — White  Elephant 
for  Leopold— Large  Expenditures  Made  Necessary — Parliament  Helps  Leopold — 
Arabs  and  Free  State  Forces  Clash — Arabs  Repelled — Negroes  Refuse  to  Build 
Railroad— Chinese  Imported — They  Die— Belgium  in  Dire  Straits — Tax  on 
Liquors — Slave  Troubles — Administration  of  Congo — Commercial  Progress — 
Actual  African  Changes Ill 


CHAPTER  Vin 

Minor  Claimants  and  Remoter  Influences.  Influence  of  Egypt— Suez  Canal — Interest  of 
Great  Britain — Turkey — English  Investments — Great  Improvement  in  Egypt — 
Country  of  the  Pharoahs  Begins  to  Pay — Agriculture  Developed  — jMahdist  Insur- 
rection—England   Seizes    Suakim — Egyptian    Railway    Undertaken — Telegraph 


6  CONTENTS 

Introduced— Thouflanda  of  Milefl  of  Wire  Strung— General  8ir  ITcrbert  Kitchener— 
Effects  of  Gordon's  Death— Dorvislics  Lie  Low  for  a  While— Great  Britain  Creates 
au  Army  of  Native  Egyptians— Kipling's  Poem  Dervishes  Arise— Defeated  at 
Firkch— Dongola  Captured— Hands  of  Kitchener  and  Cecil  Rhodes  Meet  Across 
Africa— Tho  Sudan— Meaning  of  the  Word— The  Aborigines— Territory  of  the 
Sudan— Doctor  Schweinfurth's  Explorations— Dr.  M.  Y.  Dybowski— M.  Maistre— 
Natal— Its  Annexation— Territorial  Limits  of  Natal— Internal  Improvements — 
More  About  Griqualand  East— Kaffraria- The  Bechuanaland  Protectorate— Ba?u- 
toland — British  Ascendency— Zululand— British  Protectorate — Character  of  the 
Natives— Diamond  and  Gold  Industries 129 

CHAPTER  IX 

The  Epoch  <if  Partition.  King  Leopold's  Work— His  Invitation  to  a  Conference— All 
Watching  Stanley— Representatives  Meet  at  Brussels— Formation  of  the  Inter- 
national African  Society — London  Forms  an  Exploration  Fund — Joseph  Thompson 
— Second  Meeting  in  Brussels — Germany  and  Great  Britain  at  Work — Emin  Pasha 
— Dr.  Karl  Peters— Anglo  German  Agreement — Brussels  Anti-Slavery  Confer- 
ence—The Agreement— The  African  Map  in  1895— The  Nations  and  Their  Spheres 
of  Influence 143 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Two  Republics.  The  Orange  Free  State  —  South  African  Republic— Their 
Settlemement— Slave  Holding— Characteristics  of  the  Inhabitants— Uncertain 
Statistics  as  to  Population— The  Trek — Native  Dissatisfaction  With  the  Boers — 
Griquas  Appeal  to  England— Sir  Philip  Maitland  Acts — Boer  Independence 
Recognized— Finding  of  Precious  Metals — Suzerainty  Claimed — Boers  Resist 
Claim— Sand  River  Convention- Kruger  Elected  President— Uitlanders  Protest 
Against  Injustice— Demand  the  Franchise— Boers  Make  Prohibitive  Laws — 
Claims  of  Taxation  Without  Representation— Reform  Party  Organized — The 
Culmination 167 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  Jameson  Raid.  Demands  of  the  Uitlanders— Chamberlain's  Message — Sir  Hercules 
Robinson — The  Raid — Start  From  Mafeking — British  Government  Warns  Jameson 
—His  Reply — Krugersdorp — The  Battle — Boers  Compel  a  Surrender — Prisoners 
Taken  to  Pretoria — Condemned  to  Death — Kruger  Declines  to  Enforce  Sentence 
—Prisoners  Sent  to  England—Their  Trial- The  Finding 189 

CHAPTER  XII 

Leaders  in  South  Africa.  Stephanus  Johannes  Paulus  Kruger— Bismarck's  Opinion — 
Appearance  of  Oom  Paul — His  Personal  Life— His  Birth— Youthful  Days— Refusal 
to  Speak  English — Family — Salary — Barney  Barnato's  Gift — An  American's  Inter- 


CONTENTS 


view  With  the  South  African  Chief — Kruger's  Proclamation— Tribute  From 
Emperor  William  of  Germany — A  Bad  Omen — Pietrus  Jacobus  Joubert,  Vice- 
President  of  tlio  Republic -His  Duties— Characteristic  Story — Cecil  J.  11  bodes — 
The  Man— His  Work  in  Africa— Peculiarities — His  Dream— Indomitable  Courage 
— Ambition 209 


CHAPTEE  XIII 

A  Country  of  Boundless  Possibilities.  Foreigners  Flocking  There— American  Consul 
General  Stowe's  Report — Description  of  His  Journey — Stock  on  Hills — Enterprise 
of  United  States — Americans  Getting  Portion  of  Business— Kimberley  Mines — 
Orange  Free  State — Johannesburg — Description  of  the  Wonderful  City — Gold 
Statistics — Hunt  for  the  Mother  Vein— Durban— Labor  of  the  Boers— Diamonds 
In  Orange  Free  State— Government  Revenue— Climate 239 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A  Royal  Hunting  Ground.  Ideal  Place  for  Sportsmen— Gordon  Cumming's  Exploits — 
Gorrilla  Discovered  by  De  Chaillu — Wild  Beasts — Kruger  as  a  Lion  Killer — Game 
of  all  Kinds-  Kimberley  the  Starting  Point— Dogs  Necessary— Ostriches— Ante- 
lopes—Gemsbok—Hartebeest— Elephants— Hippopotamus — Giraffes— Hunting  by 
the  Boers 261 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  Transvaal  Point  of  View.  Dr.  F.  V.  Engelenburg's  Paper — Editor  of  the  Pretoria 
Volksstem— South  Africa  Poor  in  Real  Weahh— Difficulties  Besiege  the  Settler — 
Dearth  of  Water — Pests  Sweep  the  Land— Boer  Courageous  in  the  Midst  of  All — 
Modest  in  His  Wants— Uitlanders  Only  Come  for  Wealth— Live  in  the  Mining 
Centers — Boers  Desire  to  Continue  Their  Pastoral  Life— Their  Fight  Against  the 
Blacks — Country  Cannot  Support  a  Large  Population — Food  Stuffs  Have  to  be 
Imported — Only  Hardy  Boers  Equal  to  the  Task  of  Building  a  Stalwart  Nation- 
England's  Moments  of  Generosity— History  of  the  Boer  Struggle  to  Conquer  the 
Land— Belief  in  Ultimate  Dutch  Triumph 271 


CHAPTER  XVI 

The  English  Point  of  View,  Paramount  Power  Necessary— Great  Britain's  Claims — 
Present  Need— Edward  Dicey  Presents  the  British  Side — Necessary  to  Consolidate 
Territory  South  of  Zambesi — A  Common  Confederation  Demanded — Boers  Averse 
to  Change — British  Have  Education,  Science  and  Wealth — Sure  of  Ultimate  Brit- 
ish Triumph— English  Must  Dominate— Otherwise  a  Soutli  African  United  States 
—Latter  Contingency  Fatal  Blow  to  British  Empire— Conglomerate  Population  in 
South  Africa — Analysis  of  Situation— Boors  on  Equal  Footing  With  British  in 


CONTENTS 


t^olonies — Declaration  of  the  Grundvet  of  1855 — All  Men  to  Have  Equal  Rights— 
TluH  Hulc  Eiifoiccd— Juhuiiiu'sburg  liuilt  by  Britisli  Labor — Volksraad  Diafran- 
chises  Uitlanders— President  Kruger's  Scheme —Blow  at  British  Subjects — BoerB 
Have  Political  Monopoly — Uitlandera  Petition  for  Ten  Years — From  Bad  to  Worse 
— Labor  (Jriovance — Corruption  in  the  Transvaal — Exactions  Placed  Upon  the 
Miners— Wrongs  Must  be  Righted 299 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Cape  Colony.  Franchise — Parliament  of  Cape  Colony — Military  Forces — Railways — 
Progressive  Party — Population — Franchise — Educational  Test — Mr.  Rhodes  as  a 
Factor — Orange  Free  State  Government — Constitutional  Conflict — A  Mining 
Decision— Justice  Kotze  Resigns — Goes  to  England — Claim  That  Boers  Rob  Uit- 
landers of  Their  Mines — England  Opposed  to  Alien  Expulsion  Law — Contention 
Over  Suzerainty — English  and  Boers  at  Logger  Heads — What  Both  Sides  Claim — 
Swaziland— Different  Territories— Their  Wealth— Possibilities 337 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Darkening  Skies.  Petition  of  British  Subjects— Counter  Petition— President  Krugert 
Speech — Mr.  Chamberlain— The  London  Times'  Remarks — The  Franchise— Sir 
Alfred  iSIilner— Proposals  and  Counter  Proposals  -Dispatches  Between  South 
Africa  and  London — Remedies  Proposed — British  Claim  of  Suzerainty — Kruger 
and  Miluer  Meet — Milner's  Demands — Kruger's  Answer — They  Fail  to  Agree — 
Milner  Sums  up  the  Case — Kruger  Makes  Concessions  Under  Great  Pressure — 
Race  War  Threatened — Chamberlain  Insists  on  Suzerainty — Kruger  Withdraws 
Concessions — Chamberlain  Hopes  for  Peace 355 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Issue  is  Made  Up.  The  Diplomatic  Contest- Franchise  Demands— Boers  Skillful 
in  Argument — Mr.  Chamberlain's  Insistence — Threat  to  Send  Troops — Boers 
Obstinate— They  Make  a  Mistake — Sacrifice  Friendly  Feeling  in  England— Queen 
Againstthe  War— Ultimatum  of  Reitz— Final  Notes  Interchanged — English  Par- 
liament Summoned — Queen's  Address — Debate  in  Parliament — Lord  Salisbury's 
Remarks — Opposition  in  England — United  States  Consuls  Asked  to  Act  for  Eng- 
land— London  Meetings 377 


CHAPTER  XX 

Contestants  and  First  Blows.  Resources  of  Great  Britain— Military  Strength  of  the 
Boers— English  Fear  of  Intervention — Joubert's  Expression  of  the  Majuba  Hill 
Victory — Boers  Get  First  Advantage— Strike  Hard  Blows — Chamberlain  Denies 
Communication   With   Cecil   Rhodes— Symons    and    Meyer — Death    of    General 


CONTENTS 


Symona—Glencoe— Fighting  atLadyamith— Lord  Roseberry's  Address — England's 
Warning  to  Other  Powers — Holland  Active  for  the  Boers — Raise  a  Regiment — 
Criticism  of  Boer  Hospital  Service — Boers  Lose  a  Good  Chance — Yule  Escapes — 
White  Meets  With  Disaster— His  Manly  Stand— Comment  of  English  Newspapers      8!)7 


CHAPTER  XXI 

Doubtful  and  Certain  Allies.  Basutos — Factor  in  South  Africa— Over  30,000  Warriors — 
Basutoland — Inhabitants  Christians — Represent  Best  of  the  Natives — Chief 
Lerothodi— His  Skill  in  War— Origin  of  the  Basutos— Contest  With  Zulus  for 
Supremacy — Real  Founders  of  the  Transvaal  Republic — Rebellion  Against  Boers 
— The  Battle— England  Annexes  Basutoland— Makes  a  Treaty — William  Max- 
well's Views  of  the  Boers 417 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Lyddite  and  Boer  Marksmanship.  Protest  by  General  Joubert — Lyddite — What  the 
W^ord  Means — Composition  of  the  Explosive— Its  Method  of  Killing — Boers  as 
Riflemen — Interview  With  Expert  A.  P.  Ingalls — His  Opinion  as  to  Boer  Dexterity 
— Boers  Marvelous  Shots — Trained  as  Frontiersmen — Archibald  Forbes'  Comment 
on  Boer  Shooting — Every  Boer  a  Hunter — The  Mannlicher  Rifle — Description — 
Its  Power 428 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Great  Britain  and  Colonial  Loyalty.  Colonies  Manifest  Enthusiasm— Thousands  of  Vol- 
unteers Offered — England  Accepts  the  Token  of  Good  W^ill — Sets  a  Limit  on 
Colony  Troops — Canada  Quick  to  the  Front — Other  Colonies — Volunteers — Mar- 
velous Scenes  Witnessed  in  England— Moves  of  European  Nations — Intrigues  of 
France  and  Russia — England's  Warning — Count  Mouravief!  at  Work — Russia  Has 
Much  to  Gain — Crawling  Toward  Herat— England's  Resolve— Designs  in  China — 
France's  Ambition — Afraid  of  Germany — Her  Mysterious  Agreement  With  Eng 
land— Smaller  Powers — Austria — Spnin — Turkey— A  World  War — Terrible  Effects 
— United  States  in  the  Struggle— A  Glance  into  a  Possible  Future 489 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

Orange  Free  State.  Flag  of  the  Transvaal— Orange  Free  State— Motto  of  South  African 
Republic — Rulers  of  the  Orange  Free  State — Its  Development— Obligatory 
Defense  Treaty  With  Transvaal— President  Steyn's  ^Manifesto— Calls  tlio  Orango 
Free  Staters  to  Arms — Naming  of  Pretoria — Orange  Free  State  Heroes— The 
Transvaal  Volkslied  or  National  Anthem U',?i 


10  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXV 

Hope  Deferred.  Losses  at  Rienfontain— Capture  of  Hoyal  Irish  Fusiliers— Dash  of  the 
Ladysmith  Garriaoa— Afrikander  Uprising  Feared— Estcourt — Generals  White 
and  Joubert— White's  Manly  Admission — England  Mobilizes  Another  Division — 
Lord  Salisbury's  Speech— Not  Afraid  of  Other  Powers  Interfering— Coleuso  Occu- 
pied by  Boers — British  Garrison  at  D'Aar  Strengthened — Sir  Redvers  Biiller  Sent 
to  South  Africa — His  Arrival— Censorship  Angers  People— J.  B.  Robinson's  Esti- 
mate of  Boer  Strength— The  Siege  at  Kiraberley — Pietermaritzburg  Threatened — 
Critical  Condition  at  Ladysmith— Unrest  Among  Natives ■^'^^ 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  Disadvantasffs  of  Victory  American  Revolution — 1812 — Sepoy  Rehrllion— China — 
English  Victorious— Umbeyla  Pass— Natives  Slauehtered— Lord  Roberts— Wins 
His  Peerage  in  Afghanistan --Abyssinians  Whipped— Fighting  in  New  Zealand— 
The  Maoris — Brilliant  English  P'eats— More  Trouble  in  Afghanistan— Russian 
Intrigue— Peace  Concluded— Zulus  Rise— Cetawayo  Defeated  and  Captured — 
Brought  to  England  -Revolt  of  Ahmed  Arabia — He  is  Defeated— Khartoum- 
Long  List  of  English  Victories 489 

CHAPTER  XXVII 

The  Tug  of  War.  England's  Unpreparednesa-  Necessity  of  Transporting  Troops  Thou- 
sands of  Miles— Preliminary  Reverses  Expected — Initial  Moves— Boers  Destroy 
Bridge  at  Tugela  River— Elandslaagte— Belmont— General  Methuen's  Dispatch — 
Modder  River— Mafeking—Kimberley— England  Sends  Re-inforcements— Mes- 
sages by  Carrier  Pigeons— Armored  Train  Destroyed 509 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 

On  Christmas  Day,  1899.  Dutch  Disaffection- General  Buller  Starts  for  Frere — 
Gatacre's  Defeat— Shock  to  England— Details  of  Stjraiberg  Attack— Guides 
Deceive  English— Led  into  Ambush— Magersfontein— Methuen's  Report— Another 
Reverse — Boers  Also  Lose  Heavily— Colenso — Buller  Sends  Bad  News -England 
Thoroughly  Aroused  — Comments  of  London  Dailies— Tugela  River — Work  of 
Naval  Brigade— General  Survey  of  Situation — British  Losses— England  Calls  Out 
Reserves  and  Colonial  Forces— Advantage  of  Long  Range  Artillery— Boers  Have 
a  Little  the  Best  of  it — England  Proceeds  With  Fierce  Determination    ....       531 

CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Pendulum  of  Battle.  Considerable  Boer  Sympathy— Europe  Against  England— The 
American  Attitude — Interests  of  United  States  Bound  Up  with  England— Disaster 
to  Mankind  in  Overthrow  of  the  Empire— Decision  Should  Be  Withheld— Mistakes 
of  the  English— Boers  Make  Many  Errors— Fail  to  Follow  Up  Victory— Prefer 
Defensive  Fighting — An  "American  Soldier's"  Criticism— Buller's  Tactics  at 
Tugela  River  Fight  Mystifying— His  Fine  Record  as  Soldier— British  Re-inforce- 
ments— Appointment  of  Field  Marshal  Roberts — Career  of  the  Veteran— Death  uf 
His  Son— English  General  Never  Admits  Defeat — Born  in  Ireland— His  Person- 
ality—Beloved by  the  Army — Boers  Aided  by  Foreign  OflBcers — Austrians  and 


CONTENTS  11 

French  Plan  Defenses — Colonial  Troops  Distinguish  Themselves— British  War- 
ships Make  Seizures — Representations  Made  by  the  United  States— Britain  Makes 
Satisfactory  Reply — Kruger  Refuses  to  Allow  American  Consuls  to  Act  for  Eng- 
land— Wants  No  English  Representatives — Prisoners  Well  Treated 555 

CHAPTER   XXX 

Stories  from  the  Battlefield.  Strict  Censorship — Difficulty  of  Getting  Immediate 
Reports — Generals  Don't  Like  to  Tell  of  Defeats — Suppressing  News — No  Good 
Achieved — Kruger  Long  Prepared — Tremendous  Defenses — Guns — Forts — Siege 
Trains  Being  Prepared — To  Attack  Pretoria — Ladysmith — Boer  Tactics— Com- 
ment of  Correspondent  of  "Telegraph" — Battle  of  Moddrr  River — A  Soldier's 
Fight— ^J.  B.  Robinson — He  Describes  Importance  of  Good  Marksmanship — Tells 
of  Boer  Methods— Fierce  Fight  with  Kaffirs— liow  Thirty  Boer  Scouts  Stood  Off 
an  Army  of  Natives — Boer  Trenches — Cannot  Be  Enfiladed — English  Must 
Change  Methods— Useless  Sacrifice  of  Life — English  Too  Slow — Mobility  of  Boers 
— A  Prisoner's  Story — Woes  of  the  Privates — Letters  Written  Home 575 

CHAPTER  XXXI 

Told  Between  Battles.  Delagoa  Bay— Its  Importance  to  the  British— Real  Seaport  of 
the  Transvaal — Germany  Opposes  England's  Designs — Boers  Import  War  Muni- 
tions Through  the  Bay — M.'Uions  of  Dollars  Expended — Doctor  Leyds'  State- 
ment— Material  Sufficient  for  Years — Lorenzo  Marquez — Rise  of  the  Portuguese 
Town — Portugal  Refuses  to  Sell — Defeuses  of  Pretoria — The  Mauser  Bullet— Its 
Effects — Sir  William  MacCormack's  Investigations — His  Report— Hollanders  Urge 
President  McKinley  to  Mediate — Ui  ited  States  Declines — The  Campaign  Around 
Ladysmith — Some  Desperate  Fighting — Arrival  of  General  Kitchener  and  Staff  at 
Cape  Town — Methuen  Practically  Retired — The  Wauchope  Story — Portugal 
Warned  to  Be  More  Careful  in  Her  Neutrality— Sorties — Kruger  Sees  the  Hand  of 
God — Admonishes  His  People  to  Be  Brave  of  Heart — Mrs.  Kruger — Glimpse  of 
Her  Home  Life  and  Character 603 

CHAPTER  XXXn 

The  Struggle  for  Ladysmith.  Fierce  Attack  of  the  Boers — Desperate  Rally  of  the 
British — Creser's  Camp— Wagon  Hill  -Death  of  Colonel  Cunyingham — The  Earl 
of  Ava — Boers  Meet  with  Defeat — British  Losses — Story  of  the  Fight — General 
Buller's  Advance — Lord  Dundonald  Seizes  the  Springfield  Bridge — Swartz  Kop— 
Potgeiter's  Drift — British  Cross  the  Tugela — South  African  Light  Horse—A  Brave 
Deed — General  Buller's  Forces — Boers  Bombarded  Daily — Fight  at  Acton  Homes 
— Boers  Dispersed— Buller's  Caution — Disposition  of  Forces — General  Warren's 
Attack — Spion  Kop— Warren  Takes  the  Position— News  Delayed— Compelled  to 
Abandon  the  Uill— Buller's  Army  Retreats  Across  the  Tugela — Boers  Victorious — 
British  Losses — Story  of  the  Bloody  Engagement — Opening  of  Parliament — Mr. 

Wyndham's  Speech — A  Pause  in  History 623 

Common  Boer  Names  and  Tlieir  ^Meaning 639 

South  Africa  Government  Officials 641 


Full    Page  Half-Tone   Illustrations 


Page 

Paul  Kruger Frontispiece 

General  Joubert 15 

General  Sir  Eedvers  Buller 16 

Her  Majesty,  the  Queen .        .  25 

Colonial  Minister  Chamberlain 26 

President  Kruger  Preaching  in  the  Church  at  Pretoria     .       .        .  35 

Map  of  Transvaal  and  Orange  Free  State 86 

Cecil  Rhodes 45 

President  and  Mrs.  Kruger 46 

Parliament  House,  Cape  Town 55 

A  "  Bit  "  Near  Cape  Town        • 56 

Cape  Town  and  Table  Mountain 65 

Darling  Street,  Cape  Town 66 

Opening  Railroad  to  Buluwayo,  Nov.  10,  1897,  1,500  Miles  to  Cape 

Town 75 

Three  Cheers  for  the  Queen 76 

Capitol — Pretoria 85 

Chamber  of  Volksraadt 86 

Zulu  Warrior 95 

Natives  Smoking  "Insango  "  (Indian  Hemp) 96 

West  Street,  Durban 105 

Market  Square,  Johannesburg 106 

Zulu  Kraal  or  Homestead 115 

Beer  Drinking • 116 

Native  Ornaments  and  Utensils 125 

Civilized  Native  Women 126 

Interior  of  a  Kaffir  Hut 135 

Native  Chiefs  and  Boers 186 

Zulu  Fighting 115 

Zulu  Wedding  Dance 146 

Diamond  Washing  Machine — Kimberley 155 

The  Wesselton  Diamond  Mine — Kimberlby 156 

(13) 


14  FULL  PAGbJ  HALF-TONE  ILLUISTUATIONS 

Page 

The  Market  Square — Kimberley            165 

Mine  Owners  and  Kaffir  Workmen 166 

Down  in  a  Mine — Kimberley          175 

A  Meeting  at  the  Liberty  Monument,  Johannesburg,  that  Decided  to 

Petition  President  Kruger  to  Stand  Firm  Against  England         .  176 

In  an  Incline  Shaft  Eight  Hundred  Feet  Below  the  Surface  185 

View  on  the  Main  Eeef  at  Simmons  and  Jack  Mines      .       .       .       .  186 

The  Docks,  Cape  Town 195 

English  Barracks  at  Ladysmith 196 

Commercial  Street,  Johannesburg 205 

Pietermaritzburg,  from  Town  Hall 206 

The  Summit  of  Majuba — Looking  North 215 

View  on  Bontibok  Flats,  Cathcart  District,  with  Giaka's  Kop  in  the 

Distance .       .        .216 

Transvaal  Defenses,  Johannesburg,  Fort  Ovfrlooking  Town  and  Mines  225 

Dr.  Leander  Jameson 226 

Cape  Eifles  Gun  Detachment  at  Field  Exercise 235 

British  Artillery  Practicing  Within  Ear-shot  of  Majuba  Hill        .  236 

Arrival  of  British  Troops  at  Durban 245 

Maxim  Detachment,  Natal  Carbineers 246 

Armored  Train 255 

Artillery  Crossing  the  Klip  Eiver 256 

The  Transvaal  Crisis — Ladysmith  Camp,  Natal,  March,  1899       .       .  256 

The  Transvaal  Crisis — How  the  Boers  Practice  Shooting  .       .        .  265 

A  Complete  Standstill — Stuck  Fast  in  the  Crocodile  Eiver     .        .  266 

General  Joubert,  Commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Transvaal     .        .  275 

War  Balloon 276 

Gen.  Sir  Eedvers  Buller  and  Staff  Going  on  Board  Dunottar  Castle, 

October,  14,  1899 285 

Sir  George  Stewart  White,  V.  C           286 

Drakensburg,  on  the   Transvaal  Border,  Where   the   Boers  are    in 

Laager 295 

A  Boer  Eeconnaissance        .             296 

Boer  Artillery  Going  to  the  Front   .        .        .               .        .        .        -  805 

A  Mixed  Body  of  Boers,  W^ild  W^ith  Excitement,  Entering  Johannesburg  306 

The  First  English  Prisoners 315 

The  Charge  of  the  Gordons  at  Elands  Laagte 316 

Simonstown — Headquarters  of  the  Cape  Squadron          .       .       .        .  325 

Boers  Destroying  Natal  Bail  way  Tracks 326 

After  the  Battle  at  Glencoe 335 

The  Death  of  the  Boer  General,  Viljoen 336 


FULL  PAGE  HALF-TUNE  ILLLSTliATluXS 


i:. 


Advance  of  the  British  at  Lombard's  Kop 

Elands   Laagte — The  Final  Charge  of    the    Gordons    and    Impeuial 

Light  Horse 

Charge  of  the  Fifth  Lancers  at  Elands  Laagte 
An  Armored  Train  Shelling  a  Boer  Battery  at  Night 
Blue  JacivEts  Battering  the  Boers  at  Ladysmith  . 
Native  Dispatch  Carrier   Overtaken  by  Boers 

Charge  of  the  Guards  at  Belmont 

The  Light  Side  of  Warfare — Drawing  the  Enemy's  Fire   . 

In  the  Armored  Train  Near  Frere 

Trying  to  Recover  the  Guns  at  the  Tugela  River 

A  Hot  Chase — British  Cavalry  Driving  Back  a  Boer  Outpost 

An  Incident  at  Nicholson's  Nek    .... 

Lord  Roberts 

Lord  Kitchener — Chief  of  Staff 

Lieut. -Gen.  Sir  F.  W.  E.  Forestier-Walker     . 

Gen.  Sir  Cornelius  Francis  Clery 

Lieut.-Gen.  Lord  Methuen 

Major- Gen.  Sir  William  Gatacre   .... 

Gen.  Sir  A.  Hunter 

Lieut. -Col.  R.  S.  S.  Baden-Powell 

The  Town  Hall,  Ladysmith,  Converted  Into  a  Hospital 

An    Incident  in   the    Bombardment   of  Ladysmith — A   Shell   in 

Kitchen  of  the  18th  Hussars 

In  the  Nick  of  Time — Saving  the  Wire 

Troops  Returning  to  Ladysmith  After  a  Sortie 

"  The  Men  with  the  Long  Knives  Were  Among  Us  " — From  a 

Dispatch 

Attack  From  Farm  House  on  Modder  River    .... 

Canadian  Contingent  Leaving  Toronto 

Canadian  Contingent — Manitoba  Volunteers  Being  Addressed  b 

Mayor  of  Winnipeg 

The  Retreat  at  the  Tugela  River 

After  the  Battle — Anxious  Inquirers  at  the  War  Office 

A  Colonial  Trooper  and  the  Present  of  thk  Quekn 

The    Queen's    Gift   to   Her   Troops    in    South    Africa — The    Tin   of 

Chocolate,  Actual  Size 


TIIK 


Boer 


Y  THE 


353 

354 
371 
372 

389 
390 
407 
408 
425 
426 
443 
444 
461 
462 
479 
479 
480 
480 
497 
497 
498 

498 
515 
516 

583 
534 
551 

552 
569 
570 

587 

588 


GENERAL  JOUBERT. 


GENERAL  SIR  RED  VERS  BULLER,  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  OF  THE  BRITISH 

FORCES  IN  AFRICA. 


The  Story  of  South 

Africa 


CHAPTER  I 

PORTUGAL  COLONIZES  THE  AFRICAN  ('0\ST 

Ono  of  thf^  most  striking  facts  in  Modern  History  has  been  the 
recent  transformation  of  Africa.  A  marvelous  chan^^e  has  been 
effected  in  that  continent  by  the  impact  of  the  European  nations. 
The  work  has  been  partly  racial,  partly  political,  largely  commer- 
cial, and  incidentally  social  and  religious. 

The  old  order  in  Africa  is  already  supplanted  by  a  new  order. 
The  modification  has  been  effected  with  such  celerity  that  the  map 
of  the  continent  has  resembled  the  dissolvinsj:  views  of  the  stereop- 
ticon.  Year  by  year,  decade  by  decade,  the  changes  have  ])rogressed 
until  the  political  aspect  is  no  longer  recognizable  by  him  who  knew 
the  map  only  as  it  was  at  the  middle  of  the  century.  Nothing  but 
the  immovable  outlines  of  the  continent  have  survived  the  ambitious 
cross-purposes  and  readjustments  effected  in  the  last  quarter  of  tlio 
nineteenth  century  by  the  peoples  north  of  the  Mediterranean. 

Africa  is  the  seat  of  the  oldest  and  also  of  the  newest  civili- 
zation of  mankind.     A  peculiar  region  in  the  northeast^ern  angle  of 

2  (17) 


18  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  continent  gave  to  the  ancient  Hamites  their  earliest  and  best 
opportunity  for  the  development  of  a  great  national  life.  The  recent 
creation  of  the  Congo  Free  State  and  the  South  African  Republics 
has  become  the  occasion  of  the  latest  form  of  human  progress,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  occasion  of  the  latest  conflict  among  the  nations. 

Africa  was  the  first  of  the  continents  to  be  circumnavigated  and 
geographically  defined.  It  was  the  first  to  produce  a  great  historical 
state.  It  was  the  first  to  incite  by  its  resources  the  cupidity  and 
aggressive  ambitions  of  foreign  powers.  It  was  the  first  to  become 
uniformly  and  homogeneously  inhabited  by  a  great  barbarous  pop- 
ulation. It  wa.s. th^e  first  to  suggest  the  forceful  displacement  of 
the  aboriginal  i*ace^  by  the  stronger  and  less  sedentary  races  of  the 
easf  i aii^ :  the'  iiioiibH-;.  . 

Ever  and  anon,  during  the  whole  historical  period,  new  nations, 
eager  for  conquest  and  ambitious  to  expand  their  power,  have  thrown 
themselves  upon  the  shores  of  Africa.  In  the  first  place,  the  ancient 
Hamites,  who  developed  into  the  Egyptians,  entered  the  northeastern 
angle  of  the  continent  as  invaders  and  conquerors.  They  fixed  them- 
selves in  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  displacing  the  aborigines.  After 
some  thousands  of  years,  the  world  conquering  Aryans  came  under 
the  leadership  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  converted  Lower  Egypt 
into  a  Greek  monarchy,  enduring  for  several  centuries.  After  a 
millenium,  the  Semites  came  in  under  the  leadership  of  Ali  and 
Omar  the  Great.  Mohammedan  caliphates  were  established,  and  all 
the  northern  coast  of  the  country  was  subordinated  to  the  rule  of 
the  successors  of  the  prophet.  During  the  Middle  Ages  of  European 
history,  the  condition  of  Africa  was  not  greatly  changed,  save  that 
the  Mohammedan  states  declined,  and  some  of  the  native  states,  such 
as  Abyssinia,  had  a  long  career  of  peaceful  progress. 


PORTUGAL  CULuXiZES  THE  CUA;ST  19 

After  the  circumnavigation  of  the  continent,  in  the  age  of 
discovery,  the  African  coasts  promised  ever  a  rich  reward.  They 
seemed  always  to  invite  the  descent  of  foreign  adventurers  and  the 
establishment  of  foreign  enterprises.  More  than  tliree  centuries 
elapsed,  however,  before  the  European  forces  had  gathered  in  sufli- 
cient  volume  to  break  in  their  might  on  the  shores  of  the  south, 
and  then  to  penetrate  the  dark  interior  of  the  vast  continent. 
Indeed  the  nineteenth  century  was  drawing  to  a  close  before  the 
map  of  Modern  Africa  was  seriously  changed  from  its  mediaeval 
character. 

We  shall  here  narrate  more  particularly  some  of  the  special 
features  of  the  transformation  of  Africa  in  recent  times.  The  sub- 
ject can  be  best  introduced  by  referring  to  a  few  of  the  successive 
geographical  representations  of  the  country.  It  is  in  the  cosmog- 
raphy of  Africa,  in  different  ages,  that  the  historical  modihcations 
can  1)0  best  measured  and  understood. 

In  the  first  place,  the  country  called  Africa  was  fairly  well 
defined  in  the  map  of  Ptolemy,  produced  about  the  year  150  A.  D. 
This  representation  of  the  continent  may  be  laid  upon  any  modern 
map  of  Africa,  and  the  superposition  of  the  one  on  the  other  will 
in  many  parts  be  nearly  perfect.  In  other  parts,  however,  the  map 
of  Ptolemy  was  drawn  by  happy  conjecture,  rather  than  by  actual 
explorations  and  measurements.  The  author  was  able  to  delineate 
Egypt  with  tolerable  accuracy;  also  Nubia  and  Abyssinia.  To  tlie 
west  of  Egypt  the  Mediterranean  coast  was  correctly  drawn  to  the 
Strait  of  Gibraltar,  and  beyond  and  around  the  coast  as  far  as 
Senegal.     Thus  was  included  the  country  of  the  Great  Desert. 

In  the  equatorial  region,  Ptolemy  placed  on  the  east  tiie  country 
designated    as   Ethiopia    Infra    .Egijptum;    that    is,    Ethiopia    below 


20  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFKTCA 

Egypt;  while  to  the  west,  including,'  tlic  valley  of  the  Niger  and 
the  country  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  Avas  placed  Ethiopia 
Interior.  On  the  southeast,  along  the  coast,  were  located  Barharia 
and  Agisymba;  while  the  whole  country  below  the  tenth  parallel, 
including  what  is  now  designated  as  South  Africa,  was  called  Terra 
Incognita. 

We  need  not,  however,  dwell  upon  the  ancient  representations 
of  Africa.  The  knowledge  possessed  by  the  geographers  in  the  age 
of  Ptolemy  w^as  obscured  by  the  semi- barbarism  of  the  centuries 
that  followed.  There  is  extant  an  Arabian  map  of  the  world,  bearing 
date  of  the  year  1154,  in  which  the  outline  of  Africa  is  presented 
with  much  exaggeration  of  some  parts  and  grotesqufe  misrepresen- 
tation of  others.  But  the  delineation  is  nevertheless  recognizable 
as  something  produced  on  a  shadowy  basis  of  truth  and  Iniowledge. 
In  the  age  of  discovery,  or  more  precisely  in  the  year  1492,  the 
globe  of  Martin  Behaim  was  produced,  on  which  the  map  of  Africa 
was  drawn  with  some  improvement  on  that  of  the  Arabian  Tabula 
Rotunda  Eogeriena,  as  it  was  called,  of  the  twelfth  century.  But 
the  Nuremburg  geographer's  attempt  was  nothing  to  seek  for 
accuracy,  and  was  valuable  chiefly  for  the  suggestion  which  it 
offered  of  the  easy  circumnavigation  of  the  globe. 

Another  mediseval  map,  greatly  improved  from  its  predecessors, 
is  that  of  "Africa  according  to  Diego  Ribeiro,  1529."  Of  this  produc- 
tion nothing  need  be  said,  save  that  the  cosmographical  outline  of 
the  continent  is  much  more  nearly  accurate  than  any  other  represen- 
tation after  that  of  Ptolemy  dowai  to  the  close  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

Within  this  period,  namely  in  1591,  still  another  outline  of  the 
African   continent  was   drawn,   Avith   a   most    vivid    fancy    and    an 


PORTUUAL  COLONIZES  THE  COAST  21 

astonishinglj^  free-hand,  by  the  Italian  cosmographer,  Filippo  Piga- 
fetta.  In  this  work,  the  shore-line  has  some  approximation  to  the 
correct  figure  of  the  continent,  but  the  whole  country  is  filled  up 
with  miraculous  signs  and  fabulous  suggestions  as  to  both  people 
and  productions.  Ranges  of  mountains,  impossible  rivers,  gorgeous 
palaces,  and  opulent  cities  are  scattered  with  lavish  hand. 

The  next  map  of  Africa  to  which  we  may  profitably  refer  is 
that  produced  by  the  Dutch  geographer,  Jacob  van  Meurs,  in  the 
year  1668.  This  work  is  designated  as  an  "  Accurate  Chart  of  Africa 
produced  from  Official  Materials."  In  it  there  is  much  approxi- 
mation to  correctness  in  the  outline  of  the  continent,  as  well  there 
might  be,  for  one  "hundred  and  seventy-one  years  had  now  elapsed 
since  the  circumnavigation  of  Africa  by  Vasco  Da  Gama.  Forty- 
two  years  later,  that  is,  in  1710,  still  another  attempt  was  made  to 
draw  the  features  and  boundaries  of  the  continent.  In  this  instance, 
the  work  was  done  by  the  English  cosmographer,  H.  Moll.  His  map 
is  said  to  be  "  According  to  ye  Newest  and  Most  Exact  Observations." 
It  is  dedicated  to  Charles,  Earl  of  Peterborough  and  Monmouth. 
In  its  outline,  and  indeed  in  all  of  its  features,  this  map  may  l)e 
regarded  as  the  best  delineation  of  Africa  produced  before  the 
beginning  of  the  modern  era;  that  is,  before  the  Revolutionary  Age 
in  Europe  and  America. 

This  sketch  of  the  cartography  of  Africa  may  serve  to  show  the 
gradual  and  tedious  establishment  of  human  knowledge  relative  to 
the  general  character  of  one  of  the  great  divisions  of  the  globe. 
It  is  the  historical  transformation — the  extinction  of  old  states 
and  the  foundation  of  new  states  in  their  stead — that  we  are  here 
to  describe.  This  transformation  we  shall  follow  through  the 
political  evolution  of  the  last  foui'  centui'ics,  down  l«>  the  out bi-t>ak 


22  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

of  hostilities  between  the  British  and  the  Dutch  in  the  South 
African  Republic. 

In  the  age  of  discovery,  that  is,  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  the  European  nations  began  to  be  once  more  deeply  con- 
cerned about  the  character  and  possibilities  of  the  African  coast. 
Movements  in  this  direction  were  made  before  the  middle  of  the 
century  of  discovery  and  exploration.  The  first  impact  of  modern 
European  power  on  the  shores  of  Africa  occurred  in  the  year  1415, 
when  the  siege  of  Cueta  was  brought  to  a  successful  conclusion  by 
the  Portuguese.  Cueta  stands  on  the  African  shore  over  against 
Gibraltar.  For  about  six  centuries  the  Moors  had  had  possession  of 
this  coast,  but  now  by  the  courage  and  warlike,  abilities  of  King 
John  of  Portugal,  assisted  by  Queen  Philippa,  daughter  of  John  of 
Gaunt  of  England,  a  successful  siege  was  made.  Cueta  was  stormed 
by  the  Portuguese  soldiery  led  by  Prince  Henry,  destined  to  be  called 
the  Navigator,  and  by  his  two  brothers. 

The  flag  of  Portugal  was  thus  raised  in  Afi'ica.  The  conquerors 
heard  of  the  countries  as  far  south  as  Timbuctoo  and  Guinea. 
Prince  Henry  became  acquainted  with  the  character  of  the  continent, 
and  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  from  his  early  years  he  cherished  the 
dream  of  circumnavigation.  Thus  would  he  reach  the  fabled  Indies 
and  grasp  their  treasures.  The  Prince  accordingly  became  expert  in 
the  geography  of  the  age;  he  was  a  disciple  of  the  Arabian  Idrisi, 
noted  in  the  cosmography  of  the  twelfth  century. 

Up  to  this  period  in  history,  the  commerce  of  Europe  with  Asia 
had  been  carried  on  by  merchant  ships  in  the  Mediterranean.  These 
discharged  their  cargoes  on  the  shores  of  the  Levant,  and  received 
in  exchange  the  rich  merchandise  of  the  East.  This  was  brought 
by  caravan   from   various   Oriental   countries,  and   delivered   to   the 


PORTUGAL  COLONIZES  THE  COAST  23 

merchants  of  the  West.  In  the  fifteenth  century,  the  Venetians  had 
a  monopoly  ot  ti-ade.  The  Portuguese  could  hardly  hope  to  supplant 
the  fleets  of  Venice  in  the  Mediterranean,  but  they  might  well  dream 
of  the  possibility  of  diverting  the  commerce  of  India  from  caravans 
to  ships,  and  of  establishing  an  all-water  route  from  the  Oriental 
ports  to  the  harbors  of  Portugal. 

It  was  this  antecedent  condition  whicli  inspired  the  Portuguese 
in  their  successful  competition  for  the  foremost  place  in  the  maritime 
and  commercial  enterprises  of  the  fifteenth  century.  After  the 
capture  of  Cueta,  Prince  Henry,  in  the  year  1418,  when  he  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  accomplished  successfully  his  first  enter- 
prise by  sea.  In  command  of  an  expedition,  he  doubled  Cape 
Bojador,  which  he  imagined  to  be  the  Cape  of  Storms.  Sixteen 
years  later  this  point  was  more  completely  rounded  by  Gil  Eannes, 
who  traced  the  coast  southward,  but  without  finding  the  end  of  the 
continent.  Cape  Blanco  was  doubled  in  1442,  and  a  slave-trade 
was  established  on  this  part  of  the  coast.  The  country  inland  was 
penetrated  to  a  great  distance.  In  1446,  the  Senegal  was  reached, 
and  after  two  years  Sierra  Leone  was  discovered. 

To  this  period  belongs  also  the  discovery  and  colonization  of 
the  Cape  Verde  Islands.  By  this  time,  gold  and  ivory  began  to  be 
gathered  from  Timbuctoo.  Further  and  still  further  the  western 
coast  of  Africa  w^as  traced,  and  at  the  date  of  Prince  Henry's  death, 
that  is,  in  1400,  the  shore  was  known  for  eighteen  hundred  miles 
southward  from  Cape  Nun.  Before  the  middle  of  the  century,  the 
Prince  had  built  a  fort  on  the  Bay  of  Argnin,  south  of  Cape 
Blanco. 

This  fortress  became  the  first  headquarters  and  stronghold  of 
Portuguese  enterprise  in  West  Africa,     ^reanwhile,  in   U71,  Portugal 


24  TllK  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

had  gained  possession  of  Tangier,  in  Morocco.  In  recognition  of 
such  progress,  the  Pope  conferred  on  John  IT  the  title  of  "Lord  of 
Guinea."  Still  more  important  was  the  establishment  of  a  settle- 
ment, in  1482,  at  El  Mina,  which,  as  to  priority  among  European 
colonies  in  Africa,  holds  the  same  relation  as  does  the  colony  at 
St.  Augustine  in  the  history  of  the  United  States.  The  Portuguese 
fortress  of  El  Mina  stands  to  the  present  day.  Thus  began  the 
acquisition  of  African  territory  by  a  European  state. 

By  the  year  1484,  a  Portuguese  expedition,  commanded  by  Diego 
Cam,  made  its  way  southward  to  the  Congo,  and  sailed  up  that 
river  into  the  interior.  Nor  should  failure  be  made  to  notice  the 
presence  of  Martin  Behaim,  the  German  globe-maker,  among  the  men 
of  Cam's  fleet.  Now  it  was,  in  the  year  1485,  that  Bartholomeu  Diaz 
made  his  way  to  the  extreme  of  the  continent,  and  saw  the  Cape 
of  Storms.  The  rest  was  easy.  In  1487,  Pero  de  Covilham  succeeded 
in  sailing  down  the  Red  Sea,  out  into  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  thence 
to  the  Malabar  coast.  Vasco  da  Gama  then  appeared  on  the  scene, 
and  in  1497  set  out  on  his  famous  voyage  of  successful  circum- 
navigation. The  Cape  was  doubled  and  the  Indies  were  found.  Thus 
did  the  western  coast,  the  southern  coast,  and  the  eastern  coast,  from 
Lorenzo  Marquez  to  Cape  Guardafui,  become  the  right  and  possession 
of  Portugal.  Before  Magellan  had  succeeded  in  passing  the  southern 
extremity  of  South  America,  the  claim  of  Portugal  to  the  vast  and 
indefinite  coast  of  Africa  on  the  west  and  south  and  east  was 
established  by  her  enterprise. 

The  coincidence  of  this  great  work  with  the  discovery  of  America 
by  Columbus  and  his  successors  w^as  of  historical  importance.  The 
student  of  American  history  will  readily  recall  the  sad  fate  which 
soon    overtook    the    inhabitants  of    the   West  Indies.      They  were 


HER  MAIESTY  THE  QUEEN. 


COLONIAL  MINISTER  CHAMBERLAIN. 


PORTUGAL  COLONIZES  THE  COAST  27 

reduced  to  slavery,  and  were  virtuully  exterminated  by  the  rapacious 
Spaniards.  In  a  short  time  the  rising  industries  in  the  islands, 
whether  in  field  or  in  mine,  were  paralyzed  and  extinguished  for 
the  want  of  laborers.  Then  the  Africans  were  substituted;  for  the 
Portuguese  had  found  the  Africans.  Most  unsuccessful  and  horrible 
was  the  collapse  of  the  slave-system  as  applied  to  the  native  races 
of  the  West  Indies  and  the  American  continent.  But  strangely 
enough,  just  at  this  juncture,  Africa  was  made  known  with  its 
millions  of  dark  inhabitants,  inured  to  the  heats  and  fevers  of  the 
tropics.  These  millions,  sad  to  relate,  offered  to  the  insatiable  greed 
of  the  Europeans  a  prodigious  store  of  slaves  —  a  store  which  four 
centuries  of  mingled  rapacity  and  progress  have  not  exhausted. 

As  for  Da  Gama,  he  passed  leisurely  up  the  eastern  coast  of 
Africa  on  his  way  to  India.  In  December  of  1497,  he  landed  about 
the  30th  parallel  of  south  latitude,  inspected  the  country,  anil 
gave  it  the  name  of  Natal  {Terra  Natalis).  Further  on  he  touched 
again,  first  at  Sofala,  then  at  Mozambique,  then  at  Melinde,  and 
then  at  Mombasa.  All  along  this  coast  he  found  inhabitants,  mostly 
Semitic  Arabians,  but  in  some  places  mixed  Arabians  and  Hamites. 
The  voyage  and  its  results  might  well  confirm  the  claim  of  the 
Portuguese  to  Africa,  from  the  southern  Cape  to  the  (iulf  of  Aden. 

Great  energy  was  at  first  displayed  by  the  King  of  Portugal 
and  his  adventurous  navigators.  Colonization  was  contemplated  and 
planned  as  a  result  of  the  new  discoveries.  Many  parts  of  the 
African  shores  seemed  to  invite  settlement  and  to  promise  the 
greatest  rewards  to  enterprise.  As  early  as  USo,  Diego  Cam, 
returning  to  Lisbon  from  the  country  of  the  Congo,  h:i<l  brought  a 
company  of  natives  with  him,  and  these  might  well  excite  the 
liope  of  a  prolital)]e  .slavci-trade.     The   coimtry  about    the   month   of 


28  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  great  river  was  designated  as  the  Kingdom  of  Congo.  Thither 
a  company  of  priests  was  sent,  and  many  of  the  natives  were  con- 
verted to  Christianity.  The  capital  of  the  country  was  entered  by 
the  Portuguese,  who  gave  to  it  the  name  of  San  Salvador. 

A  farcical  game,  smacking  much  of  opera-bouffe,  but  charac- 
teristic of  Portuguese  schemes  of  colonization,  was  now  played  by 
the  Portuguese  with  the  blacks  of  the  Congo.  Titles  of  nobility 
were  conferred  upon  them.  They  became  Dukes  and  Lords  and 
Knights,  each  after  his  kind !  Nor  did  the  Portuguese  experience 
any  serious  difficulty  in  getting  on  harmoniously  with  the  simple- 
minded  aborigines  of  the  country  which  they  had  found  and  subdued. 

In  the  course  of  half  a  century,  San  Salvador  became  the  prin- 
cipal seat  of  Portuguese  power  on  the  western  coast.  The  town 
took  on  a  European  character.  The  Portuguese  tongue  was  heard 
in  the  streets.  Once,  in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  one  of 
the  native  races,  called  Jaggas,  made  war  on  San  Salvador  and  took 
the  city.  But  the  invaders  were  at  length  expelled,  and  prosperity 
returned.  The  native  king  was  held  in  honor.  But  European  build- 
ings, such  as  cathedrals  and  monasteries  and  opulent  residences, 
grew  to  be  the  principal  features  of  the  city,  which,  by  the  year  1650, 
was  estimated  to  contain  a  population  of    forty  thousand. 

Around  this  center,  lay  a  vast  and  undefined  teiTitory,  includ- 
ing the  modern  state  of  Angola.  Gradually  the  Portuguese  authority 
was  acknowledged  as  superior  to  that  of  the  native  rulers :  but  in 
course  of  time  the  jealousy  of  the  latter  was  aroused,  and  the 
suzerainty  of  the  Europeans  was  renounced  in  the  kingdom  of 
Congo.  Nor  were  the  Portuguese  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  or  ever  afterwards,  able  to  regain  their  forfeited 
influence  in  the  Congo  valley. 


PORTUGAL  COLONIZES  THE  COAST  29 

The  city  of  San  Salvador,  so  full  of  promise  tliree  hundred  5'ears 
ago,  does  indeed  survive  to  the  present  day,  but  it  has  lapsed,  under 
the  government  of  the  aborigines,  into  a  common  African  town  of 
mud-hnts,  with  scarcely  a  vestige  of  the  European  institutions  which 
formerly  prevailed.  Only  the  language  of  the  people  preserves  a 
residue  of  Portuguese  phraseology.  The  king  of  Congo  l)ears  the 
European  name  of  Pedro;  and  a  few  other  reminiscences  remind 
the  traveler  of  the  great  work  which  was  effected  in  the  age  of 
discovery. 

While  San  Salvador  still  liouri.shed,  namely,  in  the  year  1078, 
St.  Paul  de  Loanda,  on  the  upper  Angolan  coast,  just  above  the  tenth 
parallel  of  south  latitude,  was  founded.  Afterwards  a  colony  was 
planted  at  Benguela,  also  in  Angola ;  and  in  the  same  period  a 
permanent  European  settlement  was  effected  at  Mossamedes.  Thus, 
gradually,  was  the  dominion  of  Portugal  confirmed  southwaid  to 
the  Orange  river  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

In  the  year  1505,  an  expedition  under  command  of  Pedro  de 
Anhaya,  was  sent  out  by  the  Portuguese  monarch  to  take  i)ossessiou 
of  the  eastern  coast.  Anhaya  sailed  around  the  continent  to  Sofala, 
just  south  of  the  20th  parallel,  and  landing  at  that  place  l)nilt  a 
fortress.  The  king  of  Sofala  yielded  to  the  invader,  and  acknowledged 
himself  as  a  tributary  to  tlic  king  of  Portugal.  Nor  should  the 
reader  fail  to  note  that  the  situation  of  the  colony  here  referred 
to  is  central  to  that  modern  territorial  division  of  Africa  which, 
extending  from  Tongaland  to  Cape  Delgado,  is  designated  as 
Portuguese  East  Africa. 

The  work  of  colonization  went  forward  rai»idly.  In  15(>7  a  licet, 
commanded  by  Tristan  da  Cunlia,  took  possession  of  Socotra  and 
Lamii.     These  places  were    fortified    to   become   centers   oi  colonial 


80  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

enterprise.  About  the  same  time,  the  tirst  European  fortress  was 
built  in  Mozambique.  In  1508,  the  Portuguese  gained  complete 
possession  of  Quiloa.  The  whole  coast  of  Africa  lying  to  the  west, 
over  against  Madagascar,  passed  under  the  dominion  of  the  Por- 
tuguese crown,  the  claim  being  confirmed  by  both  discovery  and 
colonization. 

The  country  was  worth  possessing.  It  was  already  held  by 
populous  communities.  These  were  composed  of  Mohammedan 
Arabs.  The  native  settlements  were  centralized.  Each  town  had  its 
sheik,  or  governor,  whose  authority  was  undisputed.  Several  sheiks 
were  united,  but  not  closely,  under  the  authority  of  a  sultan.  The 
work  of  colonization  by  the  Portuguese  was  prosecuted  with  so  much 
zeal,  that  by  the  year  1520,  when,  as  we  have  said,  Ferdinand 
Magellan  was  still  struggling  hard  to  make  his  way  through  the 
channels  that  separate  South  America  from  the  Land  of  Fire,  the 
whole  of  the  African  coast,  except  that  part  which  borders  on  the 
Mediterranean  and  on  the  Red  Sea,  had  yielded  to  the  sceptre  of 
King  Emanuel. 

It  should  be  noted,  however,  as  a  historical  fact  of  importance, 
that  Portugal  for  some  reason  avoided,  or  at  least  did  not  seek,  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  as  one  of  the  centers  of  her  colonial  empire. 
Though  the  opportunity  lay  open  for  a  long  time,  no  Portuguese 
colony  was  planted  at  or  near  the  Cape.  This  part  of  the  country 
remained  an  inviting  field  for  the  future  rivalries  and  contests  of 
nations,  and  they  have  not  been  slow  to  seek  the  vantage  of  such 
a  seat  of  power. 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  PORTUGUESE  ASCENDENCY 


It  is  not  our  purpose  to  include  in  ttiis  narrative  the  vicissitudes 
of  Portuguese  expansion  in  the  East  Indies.  It  is  the  African  col- 
onization which  we  are  to  consider.  The  voyages  of  the  Portuguese 
navigators,  however,  extended  everywhere.  The  flag  of  King  John 
and  Emanuel  was  seen  in  India.  Thither,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
sixteenth  century  the  imperial  plan  was  stretched.  In  1503,  Alfonso 
du  Albuquerque,  surnamed  the  Portuguese  Mars,  was  commissioned 
as  Viceroy  of  India.  In  that  capacity  he  sailed  with  a  fleet  of 
twenty  ships  and  made  his  way  by  the  recently  discovered  all- 
water  route  to  the  coast  of  Malabar. 

Albuquerque  made  a  descent  on  the  Indian  city  of  Cloa.  This 
important  place  he  invested  and  captured  from  the  native  rulers. 
He  carried  with  him  a  crew  and  a  colony  numbering  twelve  hundred 
men.  A  native  prophecy  had  indicated  a  downfall  of  the  city  at 
this  date,  and  Albuquerque  was  easily  able  to  avail  himself  of  the 
superstition  and  to  make  a  triumphal  entry.  Goa  soon  became  the 
emporium  of  India.  Portuguese  institutions  were  estal)lished,  not 
only  there,  but  on  the  whole  of  the  Malabar  coast — at  Ormuz,  in 
Ceylon,  in  the  Sunda  islands,  and  on  the  peninsula  of  Malacca. 

Prosperous  commercial  centers  were  soon  developed  under  the 
patronage  of  the  mother  kingdom.  For  a  while  Portugal  gave 
promise  of  becoming  tlie  great  colonizing  and  governing  state  of 
the  world.  Her  success  at  this  epoch,  in  gaining  for  herself  tlio 
greater  and   better  part   of   South  America,  was  as  phenomenal  as 

(31) 


32  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

that  on  the  western  borders  of  India.  There  was  a  time  in  the 
sixteenth  century  when  the  Portuguese  empire  extended  as  an 
immense  continental  and  insular  dominion  from  the  Malaccan 
peninsula  to  the  head  tributaries  of  the  river  Amazon.  Only  one 
thing  the  parent  state  seemed  to  lack,  and  that  was  the  power  of 
political  organization.  This  she  did  not  possess,  at  least  in  the 
measure  that  Great  Britain  has  possessed  it  and  demonstrated  it  in 
the  history  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Portugal  permitted  her 
colonial  dependencies  to  remain  isolated.  Each  dependent  state 
pursued  its  own  course,  developing  its  resources  without  extraneous 
assistance,  and  flourishing  by  individual  and  local  energy,  rather 
than  by  a  combination  of  powers  working  together  for  greatness. 
For  this  reason,  among  others,  Lisbon  did  not  become  London. 

It  suflBces  to  say  that  of  all  the  states  and  kingdoms  of  Europe 
which  sent  out  expeditions  in  the  sixteenth  century  to  discover 
new  lands  in  distant  parts  of  the  world,  and  then  sent  other 
expeditions  to  colonize  the  favored  regions,  Portugal  was  easily  the 
first  in  the  extent  and  variety  of  her  discoveries.  She  was  also 
first  in  the  peaceful  success  of  her  settlements,  and  in  the  almost 
boundless  colonial  empire  which  she  established.  If,  at  the  present 
day,  her  dependencies  be  shrunk  to  a  handbreadth,  it  has  been  for 
the  lack,  not  of  the  imperial  spirit,  but  for  want  of  imperial  ability. 

Confining  our  attention,  then,  to  the  African  dominion  of  Portu- 
gal in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  we  find  the  chief  seats 
of  her  dependent  empire  to  be  on  the  west  coast.  There  the  colonial 
activity  was  greatest.  The  western  colonies  extended  from  the  Gulf 
of  Guinea  to  the  Cape.  But  the  most  enterprising  and  progressive  of 
these  lay  between  the  mouth  of  the  Congo  and  the  modern  Demara- 
land.    Of  these  dependencies,  Angola  may  be  regarded  as  the  chief. 


THK  FOI^TITIUESE  ASCEXDEXrV  :^8 

From  the  coast,  the  dominion  of  the  Europeans  extended  iuhmd  to  an 
indefinite  distance.  In  the  central  region  the  Portuguese  came  into 
contact  with  fabulous  native  kingdoms.  One  of  the  most  important 
of  these  was  called  the  Empire  of  Monomotapa.  The  lines  of  interior 
progress  were  mostlj^  on  the  west  coast  in  the  valley  of  the  Congo,  and 
on  the  east  coast  in  the  valley  of  the  Zambesi. 

Except  in  the  center  of  the  continent  and  at  the  southern 
extremity,  the  Portuguese  authority  was  unquestioned  and  unques- 
tionable. As  in  our  America  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  issue  was 
ever  on  between  the  Portuguese  conquerors  and  the  generally  sub- 
missive natives.  On  the  east  coast  there  were  already  many  opulent 
settlements  and  trading  centers  before  the  epoch  of  discovery.  These 
nuclei  of  civilization  were  controlled  by  the  Arabian  and  Indian  mer- 
chants who  conducted  the  commerce  between  Africa  and  the  East. 

In  a  military  way  Portugal  sought  to  fortify  her  authority  by 
constructing  defences  at  certain  points  on  the  African  coast.  One  of 
these  was  at  Arguin,  the  small  littoral  island  lying  in  latitude  twenty 
degrees  twenty-five  minutes  north.  The  Cape  Verde  islands  were  also 
made  defensible.  At  El  Mina,  already  referred  to,  a  more  consider- 
able stronghold  was  established.  It  was  the  policy  of  the  kingdom  to 
open  trade  and  develop  the  native  resources  of  the  country.  To  this 
end,  factories  were  built  on  the  banks  of  the  Senegal ;  also,  on  the 
Gambia,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  on  the  Gold  Coast,  on  the  Gulf  (or  Bight) 
of  Benin,  and  on  the  Congo.  All  of  the  shore  islands,  from  the 
Canaries  to  the  Cape,  were  possessed  and  settled  by  Portuguese 
colonists. 

From  the  various  centers  of  manufacture  and  trade,  an  abundant 
commerce  was  developed  by  the  mother  country.  Had  the  human- 
ities of  enlightened  enterprise  been  predominate  over  the  avarice  of 


84  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

merchants  and  adventurers,  a  happier  issue  must  have  been  reached  in 
the  commercial  destinies  of  the  kingdom.  But  all  kinds  of  merchan- 
dise soon  gave  place  to  the  merchandise  in  men.  The  Portuguese 
slave  trade  of  the  sixteenth  century  far  exceeded  in  extent  and  pro- 
fitableness all  other  forms  of  commerce.  From  the  very  beginning 
of  the  colonial  expansion  of  the  kingdom,  ships  returned  to  the  home 
harbors  laden  with  slaves.  A  half  century  before  the  discovery  of 
America  and  the  circumnavigation  of  Africa,  nearly  a  thousand 
kidnapped  negroes  had  been  marketed  in  Portugal. 

In  1517,  a  Flemish  trader  received  a  patent  from  Charles  V 
openly  authorizing  him  to  import  annually  4,000  negro  slaves  into 
the  West  Indies.  This  signified  that  all  of  the  human  merchandise 
must  be  purchased  from,  or  taken  in  defiance  of,  the  Portuguese 
traders  on  the  African  coast.  A  slave  exchange  was  opened  in  Lisbon 
under  authority  of  a  bull  from  the  Pope !  In  that  mart  negroes 
might  be  purchased  by  the  hundred  and  thousand.  Thither  came  the 
exporters  who  shipped  the  slaves  to  the  New  World  markets.  The 
trade  grew  to  enormous  proportions.  Before  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  the  Portuguese  dealers  sent  out  as  many  as  12,000 
slaves  annually  to  the  West  Indies.  It  was  from  this  horrible  origin 
that  the  black  populations  of  Hayti,  Santo  Domingo,  Cuba,  Jamaica 
and  Porto  Rico  have  been  derived.  The  commerce  was  lucrative  in 
the  highest  degree.  The  slave  hunters  had  only  to  penetrate  the 
wild  and  capture  their  human  game,  driving  great  gangs  of  the 
blacks  down  to  the  coast,  and  sending  them  to  their  fate  under  the 
lashes  and  goads  of  the  Spanish  overseers  on  the  plantations. 

Already  African  gold  had  been  found  in  moderate  abundance. 
The  gold  coast  yielded  a  fair  measure  of  "the  precious  metal  and  of 
ivory  from  the  interior.     The  mines  began  to  be  worked,  and  African 


CoarlesT  of  The  Christian  Herald. 

PRESIDENT  KRUGER  PREACHING  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  PRETORIA. 


THE  PORTUGUESE  ASCENDENCY  37 

gold  was  once  more  seen  in  the  markets  and  mints  of  Europe,  as  it 
had  been  a  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era.  The  ancient 
dream  of  Ophir  was  not  realized,  however,  and  the  gathering  and 
exportation  of  gold  yielded  a  more  modest  profit  than  did  the  com- 
merce in  slaves.  The  gold  trade  declined,  but  the  slave  market  was 
ever  full. 

At  length  the  cupidity  of  other  kingdoms  was  inflamed  by  the 
commercial  success  of  Portugal  and  her  dependent  colonies.  The 
fleets  of  several  nations  began,  in  defiance  of  the  rights  of  discovery 
and  the  bull  of  Pope  Alexander,  to  make  descents  on  the  African 
coasts.  The  Portuguese,  however,  were  able  for  a  long  time  to  beat 
off  the  intruders,  and  to  monopolize  all  the  advantages  of  prior 
occupation. 

The  possessions  of  Portugal  in  West  Africa  were  designated  as 
"Barbary."  The  illicit  trade  with  the  country  so-called,  dangerous 
as  it  was,  greatly  increased.  It  was  in  this  age,  namely,  in  the  year 
1553  (that  being  the  last  year  of  the  reign  of  Edward  VT).  tluit  the 
first  English  fleet  was  fitted  out  for  the  West-African  trade.  This 
was  done  under  the  auspices  of  a  club  of  the  merchants  of  London. 
The  leader  of  the  expedition  which  they  planned  was  Captain  Wind- 
ham, who  found  the  Portuguese  to  be  greatly  offended  when  he 
appeared  in  the  (lulf  of  Guinea.  The  English  were  visited  with 
threats  and  violence,  but  they  nevertheless  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  Gold  Coast,  where  Windham,  according  to  his  own  story,  secured 
a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  gold,  and  canied  it  back  safely  to  his 
patrons;  but  in  a  second  adventure  he  came  to  grief  at  the  liands 
of  the  enemy.  The  successor  of  Windham  in  the  gold  trade  was 
Captain  John  Lok,  who  reached  the  African  coast  with  a  cargo  of 
cloth,  which  he  bartered  for  spices,  ivory  and  gold.     H«'  i<  ^:iid  U 

3 

4^769." 


as  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

have  exported  four  hundred  pounds  of  the  precious  metal  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  elephant  tusks,  besides  spices  and  gems. 

These  dangerous  intrusions  of  the  English  traders  were  kept 
up  during  the  after  half  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Meanwhile, 
French  merchant  ships  also  were  seen  in  the  African  waters,  but 
they  were  easily  beaten  off  by  the  Portuguese  on  land,  and  by 
the  hardier  English  on  the  sea.  In  1555,  Captain  William  Towrson, 
of  London,  made  a  successful  venture  to  the  Portuguese  settlements, 
not  hesitating  to  visit  El  Mina.  But  he  was  at  length  attacked 
and  driven  away.  The  Portuguese  were  able  to  hold  their  commercial 
monopoly  in  South  Africa  by  establishing  fortresses  at  intervals 
along  the  coast.  By  this  means  they  easily  subdued  the  barbarous 
natives  on  the  one  hand,  and  warded  off  the  encroachments  of 
foreign  adventurers  on  the  other. 

The  peculiarity  of  the  epoch  immediately  succeeding  the  age 
of  discovery  was  the  fact  that  all  the  European  nations  except 
Portugal  found  their  opportunity  in  the  west.  Spain,  England, 
France,  Holland,  each  and  all,  liberated  their  adventurers  in  the 
direction  of  the  new  world.  Only  the  Portuguese  turned  system- 
atically to  the  south  and  the  east.  The  signs  of  this  division  of 
enterprise  were  seen  before  the  death  of  Columbus.  The  Pope, 
therefore,  had  substantial  grounds  for  assigning  the  eastern  half  of 
tne  globe  to  Portugal. 

The  situation  which  followed  w^as  the  historical  result  of  these 
antecedents.  It  was  not  until  the  age  of  Elizabeth  that  the 
English  seriously  contemplated  a  disturbance  of  conditions  in  the 
colonial  empire  of  Portugal.  In  the  very  year  of  the  destruction 
of  the  Spanish  Armada  (1588)  the  English  queen  granted  to  certain 
of  her  noble  subjects  a  charter  for  the  creation  of  the  first  "African 


THE  PORTUGUESE  ASCENDENCY  39 

Company."  It  was  the  beginning  of  an  age  in  which  such  charters 
and  such  companies  abounded.  By  its  constitution,  the  African 
Company  was  authorized  to  enter  unoccupied  regions  on  the  coa.st, 
and  to  establish  trade  and  settlements  according  to  opportunity 
and  promise  of  success. 

Already,  before  this  movement  was  well  under  way,  the  natives 
of  the  Senegal  Valley  had  risen  against  the  Portuguese,  seized  their 
factories,  and  had  virtually  driven  them  from  the  country.  On  the 
river  Gambia,  however,  the  flag  of  Portugal  was  still  upheld  by  vigor- 
ous hands,  and  strong  efforts  were  made  to  prevent  the  English  Africa  n 
ComjDany  from  getting  a  foothold.  It  was  only  by  beating  up  and 
down  the  coast  that  the  fleet  of  England  was  able  to  open  a  pre- 
carious trade  and  to  secure  a  valuable  cargo  of  merchandise. 

The  sequel  showed  that  the  French  had  already  gained  admit- 
tance to  the  country,  and  a  measure  of  favor  at  the  hands  of  the 
Portuguese.  The  latter  could  not  be  expected  much  longer  to  retain 
their  unshaken  hold  on  the  continent ;  for  the  mother  country  had 
by  this  time  lost  her  independence.  While  the  African,  East  Indian, 
and  South  American  colonies  of  Portugal  had  waxed  strong,  the 
home  kingdom  had  first  entered  a  period  of  decline  and  had  then 
reached  a  crisis  of  total  absorption  in  the   wider  empire   of  Si)ain. 

As  early  as  the  reign  of  John  111,  who  succeeded  Emanuel  in 
1521,  the  weakening  of  Portugal  had  begun.  Her  success  in  estab- 
lishing a  great  empire,  south  and  east  and  west,  had  proved  too 
much  for  the  enfeebled  virtue  of  both  court  and  people.  A  few 
years  after  the  date  referred  to,  namely,  in  1536,  the  Inquisition 
was  introduced  into  Portugal,  and  while  wealtli  abounded  in  tlie 
palaces  and  streets  of  Lisbon,  the  old  spirit  of  the  people  was  awed 
into  silence  and  inactivity  by  the  "Tribunal  of  the  Holy  Office." 


40  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

From  this  date,  the  East  Indian  empire  of  the  Portuguese  rapidly 
declined.  In  1545,  the  fortunes  of  the  kingdom  in  the  east  were 
revived  somewhat  by  John  de  Castro,  who  was  Viceroy  at  Groa. 
After  his  ascendency,  the  reaction  against  the  Portuguese  power  in 
India  continued  unchecked.  Meanwhile,  in  the  home  kingdom,  in 
the  year  1557,  Don  Sebastian,  a  child  three  years  old,  succeeded 
John  III  as  king  of  Portugal.  Under  the  reign  of  a  minor  and  the 
regency  of  a  queen  and  a  cardinal,  the  affairs  of  the  government 
went  from  bad  to  worse.  In  1578,  Sebastian,  grown  to  manhood, 
was  slain  in  a  battle  with  the  Moors,  and  Cardinal  Henry,  brother 
of  John  III,  became  Henry  I.  But  the  revolution  in  favor  of  Spain 
was  now  on  in  full  force,  and  two  years  after  the  accession  of 
Henry,  the  smaller  kingdom  was  incorporated  with  the  greater. 
Portugal  was  reduced  to  a  province  of  Spain. 

It  had  not,  however,  been  reserved  for  the  Spanish  monarchy 
to  absorb  the  outlying  colonies  and  dependencies  of  Portugal.  Nor 
was  the  Spanish  kingdom,  now  engaged  in  a  life-and-death  struggle 
with  the  Netherlands,  in  a  condition  to  assume  the  goverments  of 
Western  India,  Southern  Africa,  and  Brazil.  So  the  Portuguese 
colonies  remained  in  a  semi-independent  condition  until  the  valor 
ot  the  Dutch  gave  them  the  mastery  of  the  seas. 

The  union  of  Portugal  with  Spain  continued  from  1580  to  1640. 
The  Portuguese  writers  designate  the  period  as  the  "sixty  years' 
captivity."  The  other  European  nations — the  English,  the  Dutch, 
the  French — availed  themselves  of  the  political  prostration  of 
Portugal  to  assail  her  dependencies.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Faro, 
the  seaport  of  Algarve,  was  sacked  by  the  English.  The  colonial 
possessions  were  nearly  all  invaded.  The  Portuguese  East  Indian 
empire   melted  away.     In   1594-95,  Pernambuco,  the   capital  of  the 


THE  PORTUGUESE  ASCENDENCY  41 

maritime  state  of  the  same  name  in  Brazil,  was  ravaged.  Fort 
Argiiin  was  taken  in  the  same  year,  and  the  Azores  in  15*.)6.  The 
flourishing  trade  of  the  Portuguese  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa  was 
ahnost  destroyed.  Even  the  Danes  made  their  way  to  tlie  African 
waters  and  established  themselves  at  Tanquebar,  where  they  )»iiilt 
a  factory. 

At  length  in  1640,  national  independence  was  restored  under 
the  auspices  of  the  House  of  Braganga.  On  the  13th  of  Decern l>er 
in  that  year,  John  IV  was  crowned  as  sovereign,  and  the  Spaniards 
were  expelled  from  the  kingdom.  The  revolution  came  in  time  to 
prevent  the  total  extinction  of  the  colonial  empire  of  Portugal ; 
indeed  from  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  foreign 
interests  of  the  mother  state  revived  sufficiently  to  ensure  the 
confirmation  of  Portuguese  power  at  several  places  on  the  African 
coast.  And  it  is  out  of  these  conditions  that  the  territorial  dominion 
of  the  mother  country  still  holds  a  respectable  place  among  the 
European  provinces  of  the  Dark  Continent. 

When  the  territorial  and  political  condition  of  modern  Africa 
was  determined  by  the  treaty  of  Vienna,  in  LSI 5.  the  i'ortiiguese 
possessions  in  the  South  were  recognized  and  guaranteed.  Neither 
the  French  ascendency  under  Napoleon,  nor  the  reaction  against 
his  empire  sufficed  to  subvert  an  authority  wliicli  had  l)een  so  well 
established  two  centuries  before.  At  this  time,  namely  in  1815.  the 
Portuguese  colonies  were  principally  those  having  for  their  centers 
the  mouth  of  the  Congo  on  the  west,  and  the  city  of  Sofala  on 
the  east.  The  apposition  of  these  two  seats  of  influence,  thougii 
so  widely  removed,  was  such  as  to  warrant  a  vague  claim  on  the 
part  of  Portugal  to  ihr  irlio/c  co/ifitinif  /i/iti;/  Ixfirceu.  But  such 
claim  was  never  recognized  l)y  the  Kuroi)ean  nations. 


42  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

In  the  early  part  of  the  century,  however,  extensive  explorations 
were  made  by  the  Portuguese  into  the  interior  from  Angola  on  the 
western  coast  and  Mozambique  on  the  eastern.  One  or  two  expedi- 
tions traversed  the  continent  from  side  to  side.  It  is  said  that 
stations  were  established  along  the  line  of  the  Zambesi  in  the  very 
heart  of  Africa.  At  any  rate,  the  recent  period  was  ushered  in 
with  the  African  possessions  of  Portugal  as  distinctly  marked  as 
those  of  any  other  European  power.  So  that  when  the  first  great 
partition  of  modern  Africa  was  undertaken  by  the  powers  at  the 
Berlin  conference  of  1884,  Portugal  had  to  be  recognized  with  a 
proportion  of  African  territory  wholly  incommensurate  with  the 
insignificant  size  and  fourth-rate  rank  of  the  mother  kingdom. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Azores  and  Madeira  islands  were  conceded 
at  the  Berlin  Conference.  Then  in  the  old  Gambia  region,  at  about 
ten  degrees  of  north  latitude,  a  portion  of  coast,  with  some  of 
the  littoral  islands,  was  assigned  to  Portugal  in  recognition  of  her 
ancient  claims.  In  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  also,  the  islands  of  Prince 
and  St.  Thomas  remained  a  Portuguese  appanage.  From  the  mouth 
of  the  Congo  southward  to  Cape  Frio,  in  latitude  eighteen  degrees 
south,  the  country  of  Angola  was  constituted,  being  the  most 
important  of  all  the  African  possessions  of  Portugal. 

From  Cape  Frio  around  the  southern  coast  and  northward 
along  the  eastern  coast,  as  far  as  the  twenty-seventh  degree  of 
south  latitude,  the  territory  was  divided  among  the  other  European 
powers;  but  at  the  northern  extremity  of  Tongaland  the  Portuguese 
authority  w^as  again  recognized,  and  from  that  point  northward  to 
Cape  Delgado,  just  below  the  tenth  parallel,  the  maritime  country 
of  Mozambique  was  constituted  as  Portuguese  East  Africa.  This 
territory    still    holds    its    rank    and    occupies    a    most    important 


THE  PORTUGUESE  ASCENDENCY  43 

relation  to  the  conflict  which  has  broken  out  in  the  South  African 
Republic. 

The  Maputa  river  traverses  Portuguese  East  Africa  at  the  south, 
and  falls  into  Delagoa  Bay.  On  the  north  of  this  water  is  situated  the 
old  Portuguese  colonial  town  of  Lorenzo  Marquez.  The  Limpopo  River, 
which  constitutes  a  part  of  the  northern  boundary  of  the  South 
African  Republic,  flows  for  more  than  two  hundred  miles  through 
Portuguese  East  Africa  before  reaching  the  ocean.  P'urther  along 
the  coast  is  the  important  town  of  Inhambane,  and  just  below  the 
twentieth  parallel  of  south  latitude  is  the  ancient  colonial  seat  of 
Sofala,  with  the  nearby  capital  of  Beira.  From  the  latter  point  to 
the  western  boundary  of  the  country,  a  railway  has  been  com- 
pleted, and  thence  a  line  is  under  construction  as  far  as  Salislniry, 
in  Rhodesia.  Through  a  distance  of  about  three  hundred  miles, 
Portuguese  East  Africa  borders  the  South  African  Republic  on  the 
east,  and  thus  separates  that  important  country  from  the  sea. 

Thus  much  then,  remains  to  the  present  day,  of  the  ancient 
Portuguese  possessions  in  Africa:  Angola  and  Portuguese  East 
Africa.  Notwithstanding  the  restriction  of  these  possessions  to  the 
two  coasts,  east  and  west,  it  is  nevertheless  possible  for  travelers 
or  merchants  to  make  their  way  eastward  from  ]\lossamedes  in 
Angola  into  the  interior  as  far  as  the  river  Zambesi,  one  tributary 
of  which  borders  Angola  on  the  east.  From  that  jxnnt  it  is  j)ra('- 
ticable  to  descend  the  Zambesi  across  the  continent  l)y  way  of 
Victoria  Falls  to  the  western  ])oundary  of  Portuguese  East  Africa 
at  Zumbo,  and  thence  with  the  expanding  river  to  the  great  delta 
at  its  confluence  with  the  Indian  Oc(viii.  al)oiit  tlio  eighteenth 
parallel  south. 

Though    at   the    present    time    the    Portuguese    })ossessioiis   and 


44  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

claims  are  not  so  much  obtruded  into  the  historical  foreground  as 
are  the  claims  of  some  of  the  other  powers,  the  former  are  never- 
theless of  great  importance  as  a  part  of  those  African  territories, 
the  possession  of  which  is  to  be  determined  by  the  sword. 


CECIL  RHODES. 


PRESIDENT  AND  MRS.  PAUL  KRUGER. 


CHAPTER  III 


THE  DUTCH  ENTER  AFRICA 


Among  modern  maritime  nations,  Holland  is  second  to  one  only, 
England.  Her  geographical  position  and  the  genius  of  her  people 
have  conspired  to  give  her  this  enviable  rank.  Once  and  again  the 
Dutch  have  been,  not  second,  but  first  in  the  domination  of  the  sea. 
This  was  in  the  seventeenth  century,  when  the  fleets  of  England 
herself,  went  back  before  the  prowess  of  Van  Trouip  and  De  Ruyter. 
Time  was  in  a  still  earlier  age,  when  Dutch  ships  were  second  to 
none  in  their  ocean  flight  to  distant  lands,  whether  to  the  Indies  in 
the  East,  or  to  the  frozen  bay  of  Hudson,  in  North  America. 

The  rise  of  the  Netherlands  to  influence  at  home  and  abroad  dates 
from  their  great  revolt  against  Spain  in  the  year  1581.  Long  and 
dreadful  was  the  contest  which  ensued.  The  Dutch  were  tried  by  lire 
and  by  water;  for  some  perished  in  the  flames  of  the  Inquisition,  while 
hundreds  were  drowned  in  their  own  North  Sea,  for  the  inrushing  of 
which  the  patriot  leaders  had  broken  the  dyke. 

For  nearly  seventy  years  the  conflict  of  the  Dutch  rebels  with 
their  merciless  adversaries  continued.  IJut  they  issued  from  their 
war  of  independence  with  hosannas  and  flying  banners.  Then  their 
fearless  spirit  carried  them  forth  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Long 
before  the  treaty  of  AVestphalia  (1648),  when  the  independence  of  tlie 
Dutch  Netherlands  was  finally  acknowledged  and  giiai-antoed,  tlie 
mariners  of  Holland  had  become  conspicuous  for  their  ai»ilities  as  dis- 
coverers, explorers  and  colonizers.       Nortli   Anierica    itM-oivo'l   their 

(47) 


48  TUK  S'I'OlfV  01^'  SOUTH  AFRICA 

impress.  The  Indies,  East  and  West,  knew  their  forceful  visitations, 
and  Africa  felt  their  tremendous  impact. 

The  revolt  of  the  Netherlands  occurred  co'incidently  with  the 
absorption  of  Portugal  by  Spain.  With  this  event  all  Portuguese 
interests,  whetlier  at  home  or  abroad,  became  constructively  the 
interests  of  the  Spanish  crown.  In  her  long  war  with  the  armies 
of  Philip  11,  Holland  might  well  attack  the  Portuguese  possessions, 
since  they  were  the  dependencies  of  Spain.  The  situation  as  well 
as  the  spirit  of  the  race  brought  the  Dutch  fleets  to  bear  against 
the  Portuguese,  and  made  the  colonial  empire  of  the  latter  an  easy 
spoil.  Such  was  the  condition  which  led  inevitably  to  the  over- 
throw of  the  East  Indian  dominion  of  Portugal,  and  the  substitution 
therefor  of  the  Oriental  empire  of  the  Netherlands. 

The  same  thing  virtually  occurred  on  the  coasts  of  Africa.  Here 
the  Dutch  became  the  aggressors  and  the  conquerors.  The  first  trad- 
ing expedition  was  sent  out  from  the  North  Sea  to  Guinea  in  the  year 
1595. .  The  ships  of  the  Portuguese  and  the  Spaniards  could  not  with- 
stand the  onset  of  the  hardy  Dutch  captains  who  assailed  them. 
Neither  could  the  French  and  English  fleets  bear  the  pressure  of  the 
new  sea-power  rising  from  the  northern  ocean. 

In  a  short  time.  West  Africa  became  the  prey  of  the  Dutch.  In 
the  first  place,  tlie  island  of  Goree,  belonging  to  France,  situated  off 
the  coast  of  Senagambia  south  of  the  Cape  Verde  group,  was  pur- 
chased, colonized,  and  fortified.  In  1621,  the  Dutch  West  India  Com- 
pany, successor  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  was  chartered,  and 
from  that  time  forth  the  fleets  of  Holland  made  their  way  west,  south 
and  east.  They  came  upon  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Africa,  and  there 
wrought  havoc  with  the  settlements  of  other  nations. 

In  1637,  El  Mina,  the  old  stronghold  of  Portugal  on  the  Gold 


THE  DUTCH  ENTER  AFRICA  49 

Coast,  was  captured  by  the  Dutch.  Soon  afterwards  Axim  was 
taken,  and  the  other  forts  of  the  European  colonists  fell  one  bj^  one. 
Wherever  the  Dutch  landed,  they  first  subdued  and  then  fortified. 
Their  charter  gave  them  the  monopoly  of  trade  from  the  Tropic  of 
Cancer  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  They  proceeded  accordingly  to 
make  valid  their  claim  l)y  conquest.  They  built  forts  at  intervals 
all  the  way  from  Arguin  southward  to  the  extremitj^  of  the  continent. 
The  gold  coast  was,  in  particular,  made  secure  against  the  onset  of 
rivals  and  enemies.  Between  Cape  Blanco  and  St.  Paul  de  Loanda 
more  than  two  score  forts  and  stations  had  been  established,  and  of 
these  the  Dutch  gained  possession  of  sixteen. 

Then  followed  the  opening  of  trade,  or,  rather,  the  transfer  of 
the  trade  which  the  Portuguese  had  already  established  to  tlie 
merchant  ships  of  Holland. '*'  At  first  the  commerce  was  mostly  of 
gold  and  ivory  and  pepper.  But  it  was  not  long  until  the  Dutch 
merchants  yielded  to  the  same  temptation,  before  which,  they  of 
Lisbon  and  London  had  sunk  into  utter  depravity.  The  slave  coast 
promised  richer  reward  than  did  the  coast  of  gold.  The  man-trade 
was  more  enticing  than  the  trade  in  tusks  and  pepper-pods.  This 
thing,  indeed,  had  been  contemplated  from  the  very  first ;  for  the 
company  was  chartered  as  the  Dutch  West  India  Company.  Why 
West  India? — why,  but  to  hint  at  the  slave  trade  as  the  principal 
business  for  which  the  company  was  licensed?  For  a  long  time, 
the  merchant  ships  of  Protestant  Holland  were  laden  to  the  water 
with  their  cargoes  of  human  chattels. 

Great  was  the  enmitv  of  England  on  tliis  scoro.     Fain  would  the 


*  The  commerce  of  the  Portuguese,  according  to  their  own  report,  whs  described  us  "a  very  great  and 
advantageous  inland  trade  for  some  hundreds  of  miles."  Nearly  all  uf  this,  now  went  to  the  Dutch,  and  the 
saying  got  abroad,  that  the  Portuguese  were  the  "dogs  which  chased  the  game  out  of  the  jungle,  in  order  that  the 
Dutch  might  talce  it  " 


50  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Mn^^disli  .shii).s  liave  liad  a  sliare  in  the  profitable  man-trade.  The 
Hritisli  i)hiiit(M-s  in  the  West  Indies  mouthed  not  a  little  because  the 
Dutch  slave-ships  l)rought  only  the  refuse  of  their  traffic  to  them. 
They  got  only  the  poorer  sort  of  slaves,  vv^hile  the  better  were  sold 
ill  Ihiyti  and  Cuba.  The  Dutch  were  monopolists  in  this  traffic,  and 
tli(«  English  traders  believed  in  no  monopoly  save  their  own.  How, 
hardly,  would  the  latter  consent  to  pay  £20  per  head  for  slaves,  when 
witli  an  African  port  of  free  entry  for  their  own  ships,  negroes  could 
be  l)ought  or  taken  for  fifty  shillings  each!  Nor  do  the  writings  of 
the  times  indicate  any  sentiment  respecting  the  nefarious  merchan- 
dise other  than  the  desire  to  make  therefrom  the  greatest  possible 
profit ! 

During  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  situation 
here  described,  continued  to  prevail  in  the  Dutch-African  dependen- 
cies. Frequently  in  this  age,  the  European  nations  were  so  greatly 
complicated  by  war  and  intrigue,  that  their  outlying  possessions  were 
neglected,  if  not  forgotten,  in  the  deadlier  struggle  of  armies  and 
navies  close  to  the  home  kingdoms.  Thus,  for  example ;  in  the  Crom- 
wellian  era,  what  could  be  expected  but  that  the  attention  of  Eng- 
land and  the  pi-oximate  continental  states  should  be  absorbed  in  the 
vicissitudes  of  that  momentous  conflict?  Soon  afterwards,  Holland 
and  England  were  engaged  in  a  death-grip  on  the  sea.  By  a  strange 
turn  of  events,  however,  when  the  Revolution  of  1688  came,  William 
the  Stadtholder  of  the  Netherlands,  while  retaining  his  continental 
rank,  became  King  of  England.  The  fleets  of  the  kingdom  and  the 
republic  were  brought  into  union  for  fifteen  years.  For  a  consider- 
able period  the  two  countries  made  common  cause  on  both  land  and 
sea,  contending  in  a  masterful  way  against  the  inordinate  ambitions 
of  Louis  XIV  of  France.     Even  on  the  African  coast,  the  English  and 


THE  DUTCH  ENTER  AFRICA  51 

Dutch  rivalries  were  abated,  not  to  break  out  again  until  after  the 
death  of  William  HI. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  Holland  had  been  keenly  alert  to 
extend  her  influence  in  South  Africa.  Having  obtained  possession  of 
the  Portuguese  East  Indian  dominions,  and  having  a  secure  hold  on 
the  west  coast,  she  now  sought  to  establish  herself  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  continent.  She  was  able  to  perceive  that  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  would  be,  and  remain  the  midway  station  between 
the  Occident  and  the  Orient.  Accordingly,  in  1652,  the  Dutch  estab- 
lished themselves  at  the  Cape.  The  advantages  of  the  situation 
were  at  once  perceived  both  by  the  colonists  and  the  public  men 
of  Holland,  who  promoted  the  enterprise. 

The  patronage  of  the  Dutch  government  was  freely  extended 
to  the  new  dependency ;  immigration  from  the  home  kingdom  was 
encouraged.  Meanwhile  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  directed 
by  Jan  Van  Riebeeck,  under  whose  immediate  patronage  the  colony 
at  the  Cape  had  been  planted,  did  little  to  promote,  but  much  to 
restrict,  the  growth  of  the  dependency.  What  the  company  desired 
was  a  trading  station  and  not  a  new  state.  The  settlement  of  the 
Dutch  was  made  on  the  site  of  the  present  Cape  Town,  and  the  juris- 
diction extended  only  a  few  miles  into  the  interior. 

Here  it  was  that  another  point  of  contact  was  found  l)y  the 
Europeans  with  the  native  populations.  The  latter  were  blacks  of 
the  blackest  type.  The  old  name  of  the  tribes  occupying  this  part 
of  the  country  was  Qua-Qua,  or  Khoi-khoin,  but  for  some  reason  this 
name  was  supplanted  by  that  of  Hottentots.  The  latter  word  seems 
to  have  been  invented  as  an  onomatopoetic  imitation  of  the  stam- 
mering cluck  with  which  the  native  speech  is  pronounced.  It  was 
a   language  of   hot-en-(and)-tot.      The  al)origines  were  one  of  the 


52  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

throe  lowest  varieties  of  human  beings;  only  the  neighboring 
Hushmans  and  the  natives  of  Australia  could  compete  with  them 
for  the  foot  of  the  class. 

(iradually,  but  slowly,  the  Dutch  extended  their  authority  over 
the  Cape  country.  The  natives  were  driven  into  the  interior,  or 
were  reduced  to  slavery.  There  was  already  at  the  Cape  a  thin 
distribution  of  Europeans,  consisting  of  a  melange  of  Portuguese, 
Flemings,  Germans,  and  even  Poles.  But  these  were  few  in  num- 
bers, and  were  generally  a  low  kind,  intermixed  with  the  natives. 
They  were  unable  to  oppose  the  robust  Dutch,  but  the  latter  were 
not  sufficiently  aggressive  and  enterprising  to  convert  South  Africa 
into  a  great  commonwealth. 

As  the  event  here  refeiTed  to,  namely,  the  establishment  of 
a  permanent  Dutch  settlement  at  the  Cape,  was  the  beginning  of 
that  process  of  colonization  which  has  given  the  Boer  cast  to  large 
districts  in  the  region  under  consideration,  we  may  look  at  the 
characteristics  of  this  peculiar  race.  They  were  from  the  first  a 
resolute  l)ut  strongly  conservative  people.  They  had  the  agricul- 
tural instinct;  they  preferred  the  country  life  and  production,  to 
commerce  and  adventure.  They  desired  to  be  let  alone.  They 
were  annoyed  with  the  restrictions  which  the  East  India  Company 
imposed  upon  them.  That  company  had  a  most  tyrannical  method 
which  it  applied  in  the  government  of  all  its  posts  and  settle- 
ments. It  did  not  hesitate  to  declare  what  kind  of  industries  the 
colonists  should  follow.  They  should  plant  this  crop,  and  should 
not  plant  the  other.  As  for  taxation,  that  was  exorbitant.  Hardly 
could  the  thrift  of  the  Dutch  farmers,  handicraftsmen,  and  small 
traders,  answer  the  demands  of  the  despotic  organization  which 
controlled  them. 


THE  DUTCH  ENTER  AFRICA  53 

In  order  to  meet  the  requirements  of  their  condition,  the  Boers 
treated  the  natives  ^Yith  severity,  and  gradually  took  possession  of 
a  considerable  district  of  the  Hottentot  country.  Many  of  the 
blacks  were  reduced  to  slavery.  The  slave  contingent  was  increased 
by  the  importation  of  both  Malays  and  negroes.  On  the  whole, 
while  the  local  industry  was  sufficient,  and  while  the  contentment 
of  the  African  Dutch  was  marked,  the  colony  was  not  "  progressive," 
and  therefore  it  did  not  harmonize  with  the  spirit  and  purpose  of 
the  English  who  came  after  them. 

Such  were  the  conditions  in  the  original  settlement  from  which 
the  Boer  countries  of  South  Africa  have  drawn,  in  large  measure, 
their  present  character.  The  interval  from  1652  to  1686  may  be 
designated  as  the  first  period  of  the  Dutch  ascendency  at  the 
Cape.  In  the  last  named  year,  a  new  element  was  added  to  the 
population,  very  accordant  withal  with  the  spirit  of  the  Dutch 
colonists.  The  Protestant  Huguenots  of  France,  escaping  from  the 
dreadful  persecutions  to  which  they  were  subjected  after  the  revoca- 
tion of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  sought  peace  in  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
One  refuge  was  in  America,  and  another  was  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  The  Dutch  received  them  willingly,  and  a  certain  enthusiasm 
came  with  the  importation  of  Gallic  blood. 

The  Boers,  who  may  from  this  period  be  regarded  as  native 
and  to  the  manner  born  in  South  Africa,  became  a  separate  people. 
They  grew  more  and  more  restive  under  the  exactions  of  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company,  to  which  corporation  the  home  government 
gave  the  right  of  control,  and  at  length,  they  rebelled  against  this 
state  of  affairs.  They  went  so  far  as  to  adopt  the  policy  of  removing 
beyond  the  colonial  borders  in  order  to  escape  from  the  tyrannical 
rule  to  which  they  were  subjected. 


54  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

This  policy  of  the  Dutch,  now  becoming  Boers,  was  first  adopted 
before  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Boer  settlements  began 
to  be  formed  across  the  boundary.  A  movement  took  place  among 
them  in  all  respects  analogous  to  that  of  the  removal  of  the  American 
colonists  westward  through  the  wilderness.  It  was  this  condition 
which  in  both  South  Africa  and  America  has  thrust  the  more 
liberty-loving  people  further  and  further  into  the  interior.  In  all 
ages,  human  freedom  has  sought  the  frontier  as  a  refuge  from  the 
despotism  and  mercenary  control  of  the  older  communities. 

The  policy,  thus  adopted  by  the  Boers  two  centuries  ago,  has 
been  pursued  by  them  ever  since.  Their  first  escape  was  from  the 
tyrannous  rule  of  their  own  government.  They  first  colonized  an 
interior  district  called  Graaf-Reinat,  and  whenever  afterward  the 
colonial  government,  either  Dutch  or  British,  has  encroached  upon 
the  interior  provinces,  the  Boer  population  has  followed  the  policy 
of  receding  before  the  aggressive  foreign  powder,  choosing  indepen- 
dence rather  than  empire. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  Gamtoos 
River  was  adopted  and  held  by  the  Dutch  as  the  eastern  limit  of 
their  territory.  This  stream  had  hitherto  been  accepted  by  the 
Hottentots  and  the  KaflBrs  as  the  boundary  line  between  them. 
The  Gamtoos,  therefore,  became  the  demarcation  between  the  Dutch 
on  the  west,  and  the  KaflBr  nations  on  the  east.  This  vent  into  new 
territory  sufficed  for  colonial  expansion  until  the  year  1740,  when 
the  Boers  crossed  over  the  Gamtoos  into  the  KaflBr  territory,  and 
began  to  make  settlements  in  that  country.  A  clash  ensued,  and 
the  natives  w^ere  obliged  to  recede,  though  the  Boers  "did  not  try  to 
oppress  them.  The  country  was  wide  and  spai^ely  inhabited,  and 
thus  gave  opportunity  for  colonization  by  the  European  intruders. 


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THE  DUTCH  ENTER  AFRICA  57 

The  movement  of  the  Dutch  inland,  from  Cape  Colony  towards 
the  Kaffir  country  and  through  it  in  the  direction  of  the  Orange 
River,  thence  to  the  Vaal  and  the  Buffalo,  and  finally  to  the  Limpopo, 
began  before  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  continued 
until  the  Orange  Free  State  and  South  African  Republic  were  con- 
stituted as  the  seats  of  the  Boer  concentration.  By  the  year  1780, 
this  progressive  drift  of  population  had  extended  to  the  Great  Fish 
River,  which  was  for  a  period  the  Boer  frontier.  Such  was  the  situa- 
tion in  1795,  when  the  colonists  at  the  Cape,  catching  the  fever  of 
revolution  from  Western  Europe,  determined  to  free  themselves  from 
the  dominion  of  the  home  kingdom.  They  revolted  and  declared 
independence. 

The  Dutch  authorities  were  at  this  time  hard  pressed  by  the 
continental  revolution  which  had  extended  into  the  Netherlands. 
Hereupon  Great  Britain,  seeing  the  inability  of  the  Dutch  to  keep 
their  grip  on  South  Africa,  and  fearing  that  that  country  might  be 
seized  by  the  French,  sent  a  fleet  to  the  cape  and  took  possession 
of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  Prince  of  Orange.  Without 
much  disturbance  to  the  colonists,  British  authority  was  established 
over  them.  A  British  governor  was  appointed,  and  peace  was 
maintained  until  1802,  when,  by  the  treaty  of  Amiens,  Cape  Colony 
was  restored  to  Holland. 

Four  years  afterwards,  the  continental  war  broke  out  with 
more  violence  than  ever,  and  the  British,  under  Sir  David  liaird, 
again  took  possession  in  South  Africa.  This  assumption  w'as  main- 
tained for  nine  years,  when  it  was  confirmed  forever,  at  the  Congress 
of  Vienna.  A  new  map  of  the  world  was  there  constructed.  Ciumges 
were  effected  in  all  the  continents  and  in  most  of  the  archipelagos. 
Cape  Colony  was  ceded  by  the  King  of  the  Netherlands  to  Great 


r,H  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Hritain,  together  witli  Ceylon,  Dutch  Cuiana,  Mauritius,  Tobago, 
Malta,  and  Helgohind.  Tlie  aggregate  result  was  to  make  the 
future  possessions  of  the  Dutch  in  South  Africa  a?i  inland  dominion. 
Hritish  Cape  Colony  was  now  made  to  extend  from  the  mouth  of 
tiic  Orange  River  all  the  way  around  the  southern  bend  of  the  con- 
tinent to  the  mouth  of  the  Tugela.  As  for  the  Boers,  they  virtually 
lost  their  stafehood  and  became  a  people,  without  definite  territorial 
demarcations. 

Such  is  the  story  of  the  Dutch  in  South  Africa  down  to  the 
Berlin  Conference  of  1884.  After  that  date,  a  number  of  European 
states  appeared  on  the  map,  the  history  of  each  of  w^hich  the  Orange 
Free  State  and  the  South  African  Republic  included,  will  be  noted 
in  subsequent  chapters  down  to  the  time  of  the  Jameson  episode. 


CHAPTER  IV 


GREAT    BRITAIN    GAINS    A   FOOTING 


Little  progress  was  made  by  England  on  the  coast  of  Africa  until 
after  the  Civil  War,  the  Commonwealth,  and  the  Restoration  of  the 
Monarchy.  We  have  narrated  the  desultory  adventures  of  Windham, 
Lok,  and  Towrson,  acting  under  the  patent  given,  in  1588,  by  Eliza- 
beth to  the  first  African  company.  Her  successor,  in  1G18,  granted 
a  charter  to  a  second  company ;  but  this  enterprise  also  was  com- 
paratively barren  of  results.  The  second  company  did  indeed  make 
its  way  to  the  west  coast,  and  from  thence  the  English  strove  to 
reach  the  gold  and  gem-bearing  mines  of  Timbuctoo. 

It  appears  that  the  prevailing  error  in  geography,  which  made 
the  river  Gambia,  as  well  as  the  Senegal,  to  be  a  tributary  of  the 
Niger,  prevented  the  expedition  from  reaching  the  goal.  Other  voy- 
ages and  marches  inland  followed,  but  these  also  were  attended 
with  unsuccess.  Meanwhile,  the  managers  of  the  company  became 
convinced  that  in  the  mixture  of  gold  and  fable  with  which  they 
had  been  allured,  the  fable  so  outmeasured  the  gold  as  to  suggest 
the  abandonment  of  the  enterprise. 

The  charter  issued  by  King  Charles  I,  in  1631,  was  hardly  more 
successful  tlian  its  predecessors  in  promoting  the  project  of  African 
colonization.  This  third  company  directed  a  commercial  fleet  to  the 
valley  of  the  Gambia.  Trade  was  opened  with  the  natives  of  that 
region,  but  the  project  of  colonizing  hardly  proceeded  beyond  t\w 
plan.     In  the  meantime,  the  English  monarchy  was  assailed  by  the 

(69) 


6u  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

insurj^'ont  pcopb,  and  foreij^n  enterprises  were  swallowed  up  in  the 
swirl  of  i-ovolutioM  and  civil  war. 

Aftor  the  dcatii  of  tlio  Lord  Protector,  Oliver  Cromwell,  the 
resi^MKition  of  liis  son,  and  the  recall,  in  1660,  of  Charles  II  to 
the  tlironn  of  his  ancestors,  the  English  monarchy  settled. again  into 
its  accustomed  habits,  and  enterprise  abroad  was  slowly  revived.  In 
1662,  wfonrth  English  African  Company  was  chartered  by  the  king. 
A  fleet  was  sent  into  the  river  Gambia,  and  on  James  Island,  in  that 
stream,  the  first  British  fort  within  the  boundaries  of  the  dark 
continent  was  built.  This  event  was  coincident  with  the  planting 
of  their  first  colony  by  the  Dutch  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  We 
have,  in  the  preceding  chapters,  traced  the  vicissitudes  of  that 
settlement  down  to  the  time  of  its  absorption  by  the  British  in 
the  epoch  of  the  Napoleonic  wars.  We  have  also  seen  a  confir- 
mation of  that  conquest  by  the  Congress  of  Vienna.  By  that  body 
Cape  Colony  was  recognized  as  a  British  dependency,  and  from  this 
event  dates  the  beginning  of  the  ascendency  of  Great  Britain  in 
South  Africa. 

Territorially,  and  in  a  general  way,  the  country  known  as  Cape 
Colony  is  that  region  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  continent 
bounded  by  the  ocean,  and,  on  the  north,  by  the  south  branch  of  the 
Oi'ange  river.  That  river  was  contemplated,  though  not  declared,  as 
the  northern  limit  by  the  ambassadors  at  Vienna  in  1815.  The  map 
thus  reconstructed,  at  the  downfall  of  Napoleon,  showed  the  unmis- 
takable signs  of  the  oncoming  supremacy  of  Great  Britain  by  land  and 
sea.  It  indicated  that  her  political  power  and  commercial  leadership 
should  not  again  be  seriously  disputed  until  some  new  order  should 
come  into  the  world  in  obedience  to  those  general  historical  laws 
by  whic.h  the  world  is  governed.     Great  Britain  planted  herself  in 


GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  61 

her  South  African  dependency,  and  looked  complacent!)'  across  the 
illimitable  sea — westward  to  South  America,  eastward  to  the  Indies. 
She  also  began  to  look  northward  into  the  interior  of  the  great 
continent  upon  which  she  had  obtained  so  firm  a  footing. 

Four  years  before  the  Congress  of  Vienna,  the  first  trouble 
between  the  British  and  Kaffirs  occurred.  Savage  peoples  do  not 
yield  their  sovereignty  simply  because  of  an  assertion  of  white 
superiority.  The  Kaffirs  observed  the  march  of  British  enterprise 
and  domination  with  suspicion  and  ill-concealed  dislike.  Many  hardy 
men  had  penetrated  far  into  the  unknown  interior,  and  it  was  easy 
for  them  to  see  that  great  wealth  awaited  tkere  for  those  who  had 
the  courage  to  attempt  its  development.  The  Kaffir  was  much  in  the 
position  of  the  American  Indian — both  had  long  been  in  the  posses- 
sion of  an  enticing  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  and  both  fiercely 
resented  the  invasion  of  the  forces  of  civilization.  The  South  Afri- 
can pioneers  suffered  much  as  the  bold  men  who  gave  the  great 
American  West,  with  its  agriculture,  forests  and  mines,  to  the  home- 
seekers  and  enterprise  of  the  world.  Several  of  these  British 
explorers  were  killed  by  the  Kaffirs.  This  was  considered  ample 
justification  for  punishing  them.    Then  came  their  partial  subjection. 

The  first  Kaffir  war  of  1811  was  succeeded  l)y  another  in  1819, 
and  this  was  concluded  by  the  extension  of  the  British  boundaries 
to  the  river  Keiskamma.  For  a  while  this  expansion  sufficed.  In 
the  next  year  after  the  war,  emigration  from  the  home  kingdom 
set  in.  Al)out  five  thousand  British  newcomers  arrived  at  Algoa 
Bay  on  the  southern  coast.  They  spread  around  eastward  and  west- 
ward, and  founded  Grahamstown  and  Elizabeth.  '  The  site  for  the 
former  city,  which  may  be  regarded  as  the  metropolis  of  the  eastern 
districts  of  Cape  Colony,  had  already  been  selected  as  a  headquarters 


62  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

in  1812.  (Inihanistown  is  sitiicated  forty  miles  inland  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Fish  and  Kowie  rivers.  Already,  in  1819,  the  place 
had  been  attacked  by  the  Kaffirs.  Grahamstown  was  henceforth  the 
center  of  what  was  called  the  "Albany  Settlement."  As  the  town 
developed  it  l)ecame,  from  its  situation  which  is  picturesque,  from  its 
style  of  buildings,  and  from  the  character  of  its  inhabitants,  the  most 
English  of  all  the  South  African  towns. 

Elizabeth  was  founded  on  the  west  side  of  Algoa  Bay,  on  the  pro- 
jection called  Point  Elizabeth.  This  city,  also,  was  destined  in  the 
course  of  the  century  to  become  a  thriving  seat  of  trade  to  which  an 
extensive  agricultural  and  pastoral  region  contributed  many  and  val- 
uable products. 

The  fourth  decade  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  noted  as  the  time 
at  which  slavery  was  abolished  in  the  colonial  dependencies  of  Great 
Britain.  An  agitation  had  come  on  in  the  home  kingdom  which  not 
even  Tory  conservatism  could  longer  resist.  A  measure  was  carried 
through  Parliament  to  reduce  West  Indian  slavery  to  a  system  of 
"apprenticeship,"  with  compensation  to  the  masters.  In  South  Africa, 
the  compensation  was  not  necessary,  since  most  of  the  slaveholders 
were  not  English  but  Boers.  However  just  the  action  of  Great 
Britain,  it  entailed  great  loss  to  the  Boers. 

Slavery  was  not  particularly  advantageous  to  the  British  mer- 
chants and  adventurers,  governors  and  soldiers  of  the  countries  of  the 
Cape,  but  it  was  the  favorite  institution  of  the  Boers.  The  abolition 
fell  upon  them  and  for  the  time  disrupted  their  system.  The  Hotten- 
tots and  Negroes  whom  the  Boers  had  held  in  bondage  escaped  from 
their  control.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  was  the  first  great  measure 
which  opened  a  fissure  in  the  social  and  civil  purposes  of  the  Boers  on 
the  one  side  and  the  British  on  the  other. 


GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  63 

Already,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Boers  had  discovered  the  only  feas- 
ible method  of  avoidance  as  it  respected  British  aggression.  This  was 
to  recede  before  the  aggressors,  and  find  new  seats  in  the  interior. 
The  measure,  however,  was  by  no  means  agreeable  to  the  governing 
class;  for  British  policy  does  not  ^villingly  contemplate  a  reduced 
population.  It  is  more  profitable  to  harvest  the  resources  of  a  thickly 
populated  country  than  to  gather  commercial  advantage  from  a 
sparcely  settled  or  depopulated  region. 

The  Boers  found  the  method  of  removal  advantageous,  both  as  an 
escape  from  conditions  which  they  did  not  like  and  as  a  protest  against 
British  aggression.  Accordingly,  when  they  lost  their  slaves  in  1834, 
they  prepared  for  emigration.  In  the  following  two  years  they  sold 
their  farms,  getting  for  them  whatever  they  could  (generally  only  a 
tithe  of  what  they  were  worth),  and  began  an  exodus  from  Cape  Col- 
ony across  the  Orange  River.  The  enterprise  was  attended  with  the 
greatest  hardships.  It  might  almost  suggest  the  removal  of  the  Mor- 
mons from  the  Mississippi  to  Great  Salt  Lake — though  the  distance  of 
the  migration  of  the  Boers  was  incomparable  to  the  other.  The  latter 
had  to  penetrate  wild  countries,  crossing  rivers  and  mountains,  and 
combating  with  the  fierce  KaflQrs  before  they  secured  a  safe  footing 
within  the  countiy  now  known  as  Natal. 

The  leader  of  the  Boers  in  this  anabasis  through  the  wilderness 
was  Peter  Retief.  The  course  of  the  migration  lay  across  the  Drakens- 
berg  range.  Not  only  must  the  Boers  contend  with  the  Kaffirs  for 
the  new  territory,  but  they  were  obliged  to  resist  the  Zulus  on  the 
other  side. 

The  Dutch  farmers  evidently  supposed  that  this  exodus  and 
the  establishment  of  a  Republic  in  Natal  would  forever  rid  them 
of  the   domination  of   the  British.      But   it   was    not    to    be   so,  as 


64  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

tlicy  had  simply  retreated  into  territory  which  Great  Britain  had 
more  or  less  vaguely  claimed  as  a  part  of  her  South  African 
possessions.  As  early  as  1842,  the  British  power  was  felt  in 
Natal.  For  six  years,  tlie  Boer  Republic  maintained  a  quasi- 
independence;  but  British  subjects  entered  the  country,  and  then 
complained  of  the  abuses  to  which  they  were  subjected.  Petitions 
were  made  to  the  authorities  of  Cape  Colony  in  w^hich  Natal  was 
represented  as  being  in  a  lawless  condition.  It  was  a,lleged  that 
the  foreign  population  could  not  have  their  rights  in  the  Boer 
Republic. 

At  this  time  Sir  Harry  Smith  was  Governor  of  Cape  Colony, 
and  to  him  the  appeal  of  the  British  beyond  the  Orange  was  made. 
He  accordingly  declared  that  British  sovereignty  extended  over 
Natal,  and  a  military  force  was  sent  to  make  good  the  assumption. 
That  part  of  the  country  which  was  occupied  by  the  immigrant 
Boers  w^as  designated  as  the  Orange  River  Sovereignty. 

The  Dutch  people  thus  found  themselves  in  the  same  predic- 
ament as  before.  Such  w^as  the  animosity  against  the  administra- 
tion of  Sir  Harry  Smith  that  the  standard  of  rebellion  was  raised. 
The  Boers  now  found  a  worthy  leader  in  Andrew  Pretorius,  around 
whom  the  insurgents  rallied,  and  them  he  lead  with  an  increasing 
throng  across  the  Drackensberg  Mountains.  On  the  western  side, 
the  Boers  who  had  remained  in  Cape  Colony,  rallied  in  great 
numbers,  and  the  rebellion  for  a  season  seemed  to  promise  success. 
But  the  British  governor  at  the  head  of  a  division  of  troops 
entered  the  disturbed  district  beyond  the  Orange,  and  met  the 
Boers  at  a  place  called  Boem  Plaats.  Here  a  battle  was  fought, 
and  the  Dutch  were  defeated.  They  were  not,  however,  destroyed, 
nor  was  their  spirit  broken.    On  the  contrary,  they  clung  to  their 


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GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  67 

leader,  and  once  more  adopted  the  policy  of  receding  before  their 
enemies.     They  accordingly  trekked  before  them  to  the  north.* 

The  Boers  had  believed  that  when  they  had  crossed  the 
Orange  they  would  be  safe  from  pursuit  in  Natal.  They  now  con- 
ceived the  project  of  escaping  finally  from  the  influence  of  that 
power  which  hung  upon  their  rear.  No\v  it  was  that  under  Pre- 
torius  another  migration  was  undertaken,  and  this  time  the 
fugitives  fixed  their  eyes  on  the  distant  river  Vaal.  To  cross  the 
Vaal  seemed  to  promise  ultimate  and  unbroken  safety.  It  was 
foreseen  that  Great  Britain  might  claim  sovereignty  as  far  as  that 
stream.  The  Vaal,  with  the  Buffalo  as  its  tributary,  is  the  great 
northern  branch  of  the  Orange,  flowing  west  across  the  continent, 
and  constituting  to  this  day,  in  the  greater  part  of  its  course,  the 
northern  boundary  of  Cape  Colony  and  the  Orange  State. 

The  results  of  the  movement  of  the  Boers  from  Natal  to  the 
country  beyond  the  Vaal,  we  shall  reserve  for  consideration  in  the 
chapter  devoted  to  the  South  African  Republic.  It  should  be  noted 
here,  however,  that  not  all  of  the  Boers,  but  only  the  unconquerable 
and  irreconcilable  part  of  the  population,  joined  in  the  movement 
from  the  borders  of  Kaffraria  toward  the  Vaal  and  beyond  it.  Great 
numbers  remained  in  the  broad  territories  between  the  two  major 
branches  of  the  Orange.  These,  however,  did  not  cease  to  resent  and 
resist  the  imposition  of  British  authority.  Tlieir  attitude  towards 
the  master  power  was  such   that  the  Cape  Government  began  to 


♦The  circumstances  hero  narrated  led  to  a  rurious  bit  of  phraseolopry  which  has  survived  to  the  close  of 
the  century.  Each  withdrawn!  of  the  IJoers  was  bitterly  opposed  t)y  the  poverning  British  class,  ancl  confis- 
cation and  death  were  denounced  against  all  who  should  attempt  to  <reAv  that  Is,  to  draw  away  or  travel  by 
wagon.  The  Dutch  in  their  own  speech,  <7-cArA'pd  away  into  the  interior.  They  had  great  wagons,  huge  and 
schoonerlilce,  and  long  teams  of  oxen.  The  wagons  were  built  so  as  to  serve  the  purpose  of  removal  and  also 
of  housing  the  occupants.  The  Hoers  for  a  season  lived  in  houses  on  wheels.  Their  trekking  into  the  interior 
was  as  picturesque  as  it  was  pathetic.  To  trek  has  been  the  resort  of  the  Boers  for  more  than  half  a  century; 
It  is  their  protest,  as  well  as  their  style  of  travel. 


68  Till']  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

luulj^'o  agaiiLst,  the  (.'onseqnences  of  its  own  success.  It  was  found  to 
bo  well-nigh  impossible  to  govern  in  a  country,  the  people  of  which 
did  not  in  some  measure  consent. 

The  trouble  became  at  length  so  serious  in  the  so  called  Oiange 
River  Sovereignty,  that,  in  1854,  the  government  at  Cape  Town 
renounced  the  suzerainty,  and  the  Boer  settlers  actually  obtained 
control  of  their  own  country.  The  state  of  affairs  had  in  the  mean- 
time produced  a  scandal  in  London.  The  home  government,  dis- 
satisfied with  results  of  Sir  Harry  Smith's  administration,  sent  out 
Sir  George  Clerk,  as  special  commissioner  to  make  a  complete 
remission  of  authority  in  the  region  north  of  the  south  branch  of 
the  Orange  river. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  country  rejoiced  greatly  in  the  advantage 
which  they  had  gained,  and  proceeded  to  organize  the  broad  district 
south  of  the  Vaal  upon  a  basis  which  became  in  course  of  time  the 
Orange  Free  State.  The  form  of  government  was  republican 
throughout.  A  president  was  elected  by  the  people.  Bloemfontein 
became  the  capital.  A  legislature,  called  in  the  vernacular  the 
Volksraad,  or  People's  Council,  was  chosen  by  a  system  of  suffrage 
which  was  virtually  universal.  Thus,  north  of  the  Vaal  and  south 
of  the  Vaal,  the  foundations  were  laid  for  the  two  robust  Boer 
republics  of  eastern  South  Africa. 

About  the  time  of  these  events,  another  matter,  not  territorial, 
but  social,  and  yet  of  great  importance,  arose  in  the  history  of 
Cape  Colony.  In  1848,  as  tlie  reader  of  general  history  will  remem- 
ber, the  spirit  of  revolution  was  universal  throughout  Europe.  The 
home  kingdom  of  (Ireat  Britain  was  troubled  not  a  little  by  the 
uprising.  Ireland  was  distracted.  Persecutions  and  prosecutions 
of  political   offenders  became  the  order  of  the  day.     Crime  other 


GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  69 

than  political  also  nourished.  The  jails  and  prisons  were  filled  to 
repletion. 

Just  at  this  juncture,  the  vent  for  the  disposal  of  criminals  by 
their  transportation  to  Australia  was  closed.  The  protests  and 
resistance  of  the  people  of  New  South  Wales  and  Tasmania  prevailed 
over  an  expediency  which  was  in  itself  a  crime.  Beating  about  for 
an  alternative,  the  government  in  1848  issued  orders  through  the 
Secretary  of  State  to  deport  the  prisoners  on  hand  "to  such  colonies 
as  he  (the  Secretary)  might  think  proper,"  A  shipload  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty-nine  convicts  was  accordingly  made  up  and 
sent  to  Cape  Colony.  The  cargo  included  among  the  "criminals" 
John  Mitchel,  the  Irish  revolutionist,  who  had  been  sentenced  to 
fourteen  years'  banishment  from  England,  who  subsequently  became 
in  the  United  States  a  historical  character  and  finally  attained  a 
membership  in  Parliament. 

The  intelligence  of  the  coming  of  a  shipload  of  convicts  produced 
great  excitement  at  the  Cape.  The  people  became  rebellious.  The 
local  newspapers  fanned  the  flame.  An  Anti-Convict  Association 
was  formed,  and  the  members  pledged  themselves  to  dwell  not 
among,  trade  not  with,  touch  not  the  garments  of  as  many  as  were 
engaged  in  the  nefarious  business.  The  Neptu?ie,  that  being  the 
name  of  the  convict  ship,  at  last  reached  Simon's  Bay,  but  was 
obliged  to  anchor  off  shore.  The  Governor  tried  to  carry  into  effect 
the  purposes  of  the  home  authorities,  but  he  was  thwarted  by  the 
people.  Then  he  was  obliged  to  wait  until  new  orders  should  come 
from  London. 

Great  Britain  evidently  had  no  desire  to  get  embroiled  in  a 
serious  altercation  with  her  South  African  subjects  over  such  a 
matter.      The   home   government  wisely  receded    from    its   })osition. 


70  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

This  incident  had  a  much  wider  political  significance  than  it  would 
at  tirst  appear  on  the  surface  and  the  results  were  varied. 

In  the  end  the  threatening  affair  in  Cape  Colony  worked 
out  its  own  solution.  Orders  were  sent  from  England  that  the 
Nrpfinir  sliould  proceed  to  Van  Diemen's  Land  and  discharge  the 
convicts  on  that  unresisting  shore.  It  is,  however,  in  the  nature  of 
movements  of  this  kind,  not  to  cease  when  they  are  satisfied.  The 
reaction  against  an  abuse,  or  an  attempted  abuse,  in  civil  polity,  carries 
far.  The  colonists  at  the  Cape,  having  won  their  contention,  proceeded 
to  fortify,  as  it  were,  against  another  invasion  of  their  rights.  They 
demanded  home  government.  Earl  Grey,  the  colonial  secretary,  had 
already  intimated  his  willingness  to  concede  free  representation  and 
a  local  assembly  to  the  people  of  the  Cape.  Accordingly,  in  1853,  a 
constitution  was  granted,  and  the  present  government  of  Cape 
Colony,  quite  liberal  in  its  provisions,  was  established. 

Already  the  growing  power  of  Great  Britain  in  South  Africa  had 
alarmed  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  neighboring  native  states.  This 
was  true  in  particular  of  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  region  now  known 
as  Kaffraria.  These  people  foresaw  their  own  extinction  or  total  sup- 
pression by  the  alien  race.  Delusions  began  to  appear  among  them; 
their  old  ethnic  superstitions  were  invoked,  as  if  soothsayers  could 
save  the  falling  institutions  of  the  fathers.  A  strange  prophecy  went 
abroad  to  the  effect  that  if  the  people  ivould  kill  themselves,  they  would 
presently  rise  from  the  dead,  regenerated  in  strength,  and  that  «th us 
the  nation  might  be  redeemed. 

This  unprecedented  method  of  defense  was  actually  adopted  by 
the  West  Kaffirs,  and,  according  to  the  estimates,  about  fifty  thousand 
men,  being  approximately  one-third  of  the  whole  nation,  committed 
suicide!    All  that  part  of  Kaffraria  next  to  Cape  Colony  was  virtually 


GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  71 

depopulated.  The  removal  of  these  fierce  men  was  naturally  not 
considered  as  a  great  loss  by  the  British,  as  it  lightened  the  process 
of  occupation,  and  new  colonists  were  enabled  to  rush  in  and 
quickly  open  up  the  country.  Thus  were  soon  laid  the  foundations 
of  British  Kaffraria. 

This  uncanny  event  happened  in  1857.  At  that  time  the  Euro- 
pean armies  which  had  participated  in  the  Crimean  war  were  return- 
ing. Among  the  rest  was  a  so-called  "German  legion,"  which  had 
been  attached  to  the  British  forces  on  the  Black  Sea.  This  legion, 
numbering  about  two  thousand  men,  was  released  into  Kaffraria,  to 
leave  a  powerful  social  and  industrial  impression  upon  the  material 
development  and  race  character  of  the  country.  The  local  institu- 
tions, however,  grew  up  in  the  British  fashion,  and  after  eight  years 
that  portion  of  Kaffraria  here  under  consideration  was  incorporated 
with  the  major  province.  The  new  district  was  entitled  the  "Elec- 
toral Divisions  of  King  William's  Town  and  East  London."  This 
addition  of  temtory,  together  with  the  growing  interests  of  the 
commonwealth,  called  for  an  enlargement  of  constitutional  privileges, 
and  this  was  granted  by  the  home  government  in  1865. 

Not  until  after  the  middle  of  the  present  century  did  public  enter- 
prises become  active  in  Cape  Colony.  In  18G3,  the  first  South  African 
railway,  extending  from  Cape  Town  to  Wellington,  was  built,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  seventy-five  miles.  Already,  three  years  previously, 
the  harbor  in  Table  Bay  had  been  made  secure  by  the  completion  of 
the  great  breakwater  which  still  protects  it.  More  important,  how- 
ever, than  any  of  the  internal  improvements  was  the  discovery,  in 
1867,  of  the  diamond  fields  in  the  districts  north  of  the  Orange  River. 
The  first  finds  were  made  in  Griqualand,  where  the  Vaal  river  bending 
around  to  the  south,  makes  its  way  down  to  the  Orange.    As  soon  as 


rj 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


the  lirst  discoveries  were  announced,  the  whole  world  of  adventure, 
wearying  somewhat  of  California  and  Australia,  held  up  its  hands  in 
joy.  There  was  an  eager  rush  into  the  land  of  promise,  and  Griqua- 
liind  was  at  once  annexed  to  the  territories  of  the  British  crown! 

Tlio  reader  will  not  fail  to  note  the  location  in  this  district, 
namely,  in  the  bend  of  the  Vaal  between  the  Modder  and  the 
Uarib,  of  the  town  and  diamond-field  of  Kimberley.  This  region  is 
likely  to  hold  a  conspicuous  record  as  one  of  the  critical  points  of 
modern  history.  The  place,  which  was  formerly  called  New  Rush, 
is  the  capital  of  Griqualand  West.  Its  development  in  the  last 
quarter  of  the  century  has  been  one  of  the  most  remarkable  com- 
mercial enterprises  of  the  world.  The  diamond  mining  industry, 
in  a  large  sense,  dates  from  the  year  1871.  The  town  of  Kimberley 
sprang  into  existence,  and  at  the  close  of  the  ninth  decennium  had 
a  fluctuating  population  of  28,000  people.  In  1874,  when  the  gold 
mines  of  Leydenberg  in  the  Transvaal  were  discovered,  almost  the 
whole  population  of  Kimberley  made  a  rush  for  the  new  Eldorado, 
but  the  town  soon  filled  up  again,  partly  with  natives,  but  mostly 
with  transitory  adventurers. 

The  exigencies  of  the  affairs  in  the  diamond  fields  made  neces- 
sary the  building  of  a  railway  from  the  mines  to  Cape  Town. 
This  line  has  been  gradually  extended  in  a  direction  east  of  north 
about  seven  hundred  miles  to  Bulawayo,  the  capital  of  Rhodesia. 
The  thoroughfare  skirts  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the  South 
African  Republic  on  the  west,  and  furnishes  to  Great  Britain  her 
longest  and  most  important  line  of  interior  communication  in  the 
country  below  the  20th  parallel  of  latitude. 

The  reference  to  the  Cape  Town  and  Kimberley  railway  suggests 
a  further  notice  of  the  lines  which  have  been  developed  in  Cape 


GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  73 

Colony,  and  from  thence  northward  into  the  two  free  republics  of 
the  Dutch.  At  the  Cape,  a  short  line  extends  noi-thward  from 
False  Bay  to  Malmesbury.  On  the  west  coast,  from  Port  Nolloth 
to  Ookiep,  in  Great  Bushmanland,  another  short  railway  has  been 
constructed.  From  Worcester,  about  eighty  miles  from  Cape  Town, 
a  branch  has  been  built  in  the  direction  of  Ashton.  Further  north 
from  De  Aar,  a  branch  has  been  laid  to  the  point  of  intersection 
with  the  Port  Elizabeth  and  Bloemfontein  railway.  The  latter  is 
one  of  the  most  important  in  the  country;  for  this  line  also 
stretches  from  Bloemfontein  to  Johannesburg,  thence  to  Pretoria, 
and  thence  northward  (partly  uncompleted  in  1899)  to  Pietersburg, 
in  the  north  center  of  the  South  African  Republic.  From  Pretoria 
a  line  runs  almost  due  eastward  to  Lorenzo  Marquez  on  Delagoa 
Bay.  From'  Johannesburg  an  important  railway  extends  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  by  way  of  Ladysmith  and  Pietermaritzburg 
to  Durban,  the  capital  and  seaport  of  Natal.  Finally,  from  East 
London  on  the  coast,  a  line  runs  in  a  northerly  direction  to 
Aliwal,  on  the  boundary  of  the  Orange  Free  State;  while  another 
line  reaches  from  Point  Alfred,  east  of  Elizabeth,  to  Naauw  Poort, 
two  hundred  and  seventy  miles  in  the  interior.  In  the  building  of 
these  railways,  the  Imperial  government  came  to  the  rescue  in 
1876,  when  a  subsidy  of  five  million  i)Oun(ls  was  voted  to  aid  in 
the  construction  of  the  four  trunk  lines. 

To  all  this  should  be  added  that  the  railway  ambition  of  Cecil 
Rhodes  and  his  coadjutors  in  the  closing  years  of  the  century 
always  contemplated  the  extension  of  the  system,  either  from 
Pietersburg  in  the  South  African  Republic,  or  from  Bulawayo,  in 
Rhodesia,  northward  through  the  valley  of  the  Zambesi  to  the 
Sudan   of   Egypt,  and    finally,  down  the   Nile   to   Cairo    -  a   project 


74  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

which,  for  the  extent  of  country  and  difficulties  to  be  surmounted, 
may  well  remind  the  reader  of  the  enterprise  of  building  the 
Canadian  Pacific  railway,  as  the  problem  stood  at  the  time  of  the 
Confederation. 

The  development  of  British  powder  in  South  Africa  was  seriously 
impeded  in  the  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth  decades,  by  the  resistance 
of  the  native  races.  In  this  interval,  one  complication  succeeded 
another.  War  followed  war,  but  always  ended  with  the  advance- 
ment of  the  British  frontier  to  the  north  and  east. 

In  the  first  place,  the  Basutos,  one  branch  of  the  Bechuana 
Kaffirs,  became  embroiled  with  the  Boers,  whom  they  fought,  after 
the  so-called  Orange  River  Sovereignty  was  abandoned  by  the 
British.  The  continuance  of  the  struggle  gave  the  desired  oppor- 
tunity to  the  colonial  government  at  Cape  Town  to  secure  the  favor 
of  the  Basutos,  who  at  length  petitioned  the  British  Government 
to  take  them  in.  The  wing  of  Cape  Colony  was  accordingly  extended 
over  Basutoland  in  1868,  and  three  years  afterwards  that  region 
was  incorporated  as  an  integral  part  of  the  Cape  territories. 

The  next  additions  to  British  South  Africa  were  made  in  the 
years  1874-75.  At  this  period,  large  districts  of  Kaffraria,  both 
north  and  south,  were  added.  East  Griqualand,  lying  immediately 
south  of  Natal,  was  next  incorporated.  Generally  these  increments 
of  territory,  many  of  them  large  enough  for  the  formation  of  great 
states,  were  obtained  with  the  virtual  consent  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
plausibility  of  the  propositions  made  by  the  British  authority,  the 
promises  of  peace  and  better  government,  and  the  holding  out  of 
inducements  for  the  local  development  of  great  industries,  generally 
prevailed  with  the  natives  without  a  resort  to  war  on  the  part  of 
the  stronger  power. 


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GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTINli  77 

Thus,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  eighth  decennium,  British  authority 
in  South  Africa  had  extended  northward  to  the  line  of  the  Orange 
River,  and  on  the  east  to  the  southern  border  of  Natal.  By  this 
time  the  attention  of  all  the  enlightened  nations  had  been  turned 
more  than  hitherto  to  this,  the  least  civilized  of  the  continents, 
and  they  began  to  consider,  first  tacitly,  and  then  in  open  confer- 
ence, the  question,  tvhat  shall  we  do  ivith  it  ? 

Several  circumstances  and  conditions  contributed  at  this  epoch 
to  revive  the  interest  of  mankind  in  Africa.  In  November  of  1871, 
Henry  M.  Stanley  found  David  Livingstone  at  Ujiji.  It  was  the  begin- 
ning, not  indeed  of  modern  exploration  and  discovery,  but  rather  of  a 
more  accurate  knowledge  than  had  ever  before  been  attained  by  white 
men  respecting  the  African  interior. 

David  Livingstone  had  already  been  for  more  than  twenty  years 
an  explorer  in  the  Dark  Continent.  He  had  discovered  Lake  Ngami 
in  1849;  Victoria  Falls  in  1855,  Nyassa  in  1859,  Tanganyika  in  1807, 
and  Ujiji  in  1869.  One  year  and  a  half  of  life  still  remained  to  him 
after  his  rescue  by  Stanley.  He  died  at  Lake  Bangweolo  on  the  3()tli 
of  April,  1873;  his  body  was  transported  to  England  for  interment 
among  the  immortals  of  Westminster  Abbey. 

After  Livingstone,  Stanley  himself  became  the  greatest  of  recent 
explorers.  In  1874  he  was  sent  by  the  New  York  Herald  and  the 
London  Telegraph  to  make  an  expedition  into  Central  Africa.  In  the 
following  year,  he  circumnavigated  the  Victoria  Nyanza.  In  the 
years  1876-77,  he  discovered  Albert  Edward  Nyanza,  and  finding  the 
headwaters  of  the  Congo  descended  that  river  to  its  mouth.  This  was 
the  solution  of  the  great  problem.  The  general  nature  of  the  interior 
of  Africa  was  henceforth  known. 

In  1879,  Stanley  was  sent  back  under  the  patronage  of  the  Inter- 


78  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

national  African  Association  to  explore  and  colonize  the  valley  of  the 
Congo.  For  this  great  river  he  suggested  the  new  name  of  Living- 
stone, and  thcit  name,  at  the  present  day,  contends  with  Congo  in 
geographical  nomenclature.  The  indefatigable  explorer  was  largely 
instrumental  in  founding  the  Congo  Free  State.  Subsequently  he 
participated  in  the  Berlin  Conference  of  1884-85,  which  had  been 
called  to  consider  and  solve,  if  practicable,  the  problem  of  Africa. 
Stanley's  explorations  and  the  books  which  he  published,  based  as 
they  were,  partly  on  the  preceding  work  of  Livingstone,  but  more 
largely  on  the  suggestions  of  his  own  adventurous  genius,  contributed 
greatly  to  the  roused-up  interest  of  the  world  in  the  African  continent. 

We  may  here  consider  for  a  moment  the  mainsprings  of  motive 
in  the  activity  of  men  and  nations,  respecting  the  development  of 
Africa,  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  question 
brings  us  to  the  bottom  philosophy  of  human  nature;  also,  to  the 
nature  of  communities,  of  peoples,  of  states  and  kingdoms.  It  is  the 
peculiarity  of  our  kind  that  the  moral  sense  of  the  race  has  risen  to 
a  higher  level  than  its  practical  action.  The  race  knows  better  than 
it  acts.  Conduct  is  discordant  with  conscience  and  the  discernment 
of  right.  The  inner  sense  of  right,  therefore,  in  the  individual,  in 
the  community,  in  the  state,  forces  the  action  to  ascribe  to  itself 
a  false  motive  as  its  origin.  The  action  is  shamed  when  con- 
fronted with  the  real  motive,  and  hypocrisy  comes  to  the  rescue. 
A  large  part  of  the  intellectual  ingenuity  of  mankind  in  modern 
times  has  been  expended  in  inventing  respectable  motives,  and  in 
bolstering  them  up  with  sophisms  in  order  that  they  may  masquerade 
in  the  procession  of  truth  and  righteousness. 

In  the  case  before  us.  the  parties  principally  concerned  in  the 
unfolding  of  Afi'ica  have  all  the  time  claimed  that  they  are  inspired 


GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  79 

by  the  philanthropic  consideration  of  civilizing  barbarous  races  and 
redeeming  a  continent  from  savagery.  In  point  of  fact,  the  move- 
ments of  the  various  parties  have  nearly  all  been  inspired  by  the 
hope  of  advantage  to  the  men,  the  organizations,  and  the  states, 
which  have  patronized  the  several  enterprises. 

Perhaps  this  double-faced  condition  should  not  be  too  harshly 
judged.  It  is  true  that  the  higher  forms  of  civilization  do  follow 
in  the  wake  even  of  conquest.  Progress  is  not  caused  by  invasion, 
by  subjugation,  by  the  imposition  of  a  higher  race  on  the  aborigines 
of  a  country;  for  that  were  impossible.  Progress  follows  in  spite  of 
the  evils  done.  That  civilization  should  have  this  hard  and  criminal 
birth  is  one  of  the  irreconcilable  facts  of  our  present  fallible  state. 
The  suppression  and  extinction  of  the  native  races  in  a  country  by 
the  incursion  of  the  stronger  nations  can  never  be  justified  in  the 
court  of  conscience,  or  at  the  bar  of  that  immutable  justice  by 
which  the  world  is  said  to  be  governed. 

All  that  can  be  said,  therefore,  is  that  Destiny  (whatever 
Destiny  may  mean)  seems  to  have  adopted  the  destroying  forces, 
cruel  as  they  are,  in  order  to  make  a  way  for  the  higher  life  of 
mankind.  And  all  that  may  be  said  for  the  actors  is  that  they 
freely  participate  in  the  immoral  drama  of  their  age,  doing  unjus- 
tifiable deeds,  promoting  cruelty  and  rapacious  aggression,  and  at 
the  same  time  inventing  excuses  that  may  seem  to  justify  or 
warrant  the  things  done. 

In  this  connection  we  should  note  also  that  the  filling  up  of 
all  the  other  continents  had,  at  the  epoch  under  consideration, 
suddenly  brought  the  roving  and  adventurous  part  of  mankind  to 
a  standstill.  To  this  element  of  everlasting  mutation  and  frontier 
battling,  Africa  offered  a  vent.     There  lay  a  vast  continent  into 


80  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

uliicli  <lio  modern  sea-kings  of  the  deep  and  the  semi-brigand 
cohorts  of  the  landside  might  turn  and  find  satisfaction.  The  invi- 
tation was  urgent.  The  American  reader  should  not  forget  that 
the  single  valley  of  the  Congo,  from  the  falls  to  the  sea,  is  as  vast, 
as  fertile,  as  promising  in  all  the  elements  of  human  development, 
as  is  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  confluence  of  the 
Missouri  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico! 

It  is  in  the  light  of  these  facts  and  deductions  that  the  African 
enterprises  of  the  European  nations  in  the  eighth  and  ninth 
decades  of  our  century  must  be  understood.  Africa  was  the  only 
remaining  field  for  adventure.  The  rush  turned  thither  because  it 
must.  In  America,  the  vast  countries  w^est  of  the  Mississippi  had 
been  opened  and  traversed  in  the  preceding  interval.  The  Pacific 
railways  had  freely  discharged  the  millions  into  the  Western 
States  and  Territories.  The  Pacific  shores  were  reached,  and  there 
thtfs-f(ir  was  written  in  the  sands.  Africa  remained.  And  after 
Africa  ?  The  future  shall  reveal,  in  several  ages  of  war  and 
bloodshed  and  readjustment,  what  the  nations  will  then  do  to 
appease  the  unquenchable  spirit  which  has  thus  far  sought  and 
found  equipoise  and  satisfaction  in  the  discovery  and  conquest  of 
new  lands.  Will  the  nations  turn  upon  each  other  and  conquer 
and  exterminate  until  only  one  remains  ?  Perhaps  that  one  wall 
be  lonesome  in  the  waste  ! 

Returning  from  this  digression,  a  few  words  may  be  added 
relative  to  the  evolution  of  civil  government  in  Cape  Colony  and 
the  annexed  territories  under  British  rule.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  fundamentally  the  civil  organization  w^as  Dutch.  In  the 
Dutcli  epocli  a  simple  style  of  government  had  been  invented. 
The    administrative    powers    consisted    of    a    governor    called    the 


GREAT  BRITAIN  GAINS  A  FOOTING  81 

Landrost  and  a  council  called  the  Ileemraaden.  The  governor  and 
his  council  attended  not  only  to  executive,  but  also  to  judicial 
duties.  The  method  was  so  autocratic  that,  in  1827,  the  British 
authorities,  who  had  accepted  the  system  from  their  predecessors, 
abolished  it.  For  the  next  ten  years,  the  judicial  functions  were 
separated  from  the  governor  and  his  council  board. 

In  1837,  a  still  larger  reform  was  effected  by  the  establishment 
of  a  legislative  council.  This  form  of  government  continued  in 
force  until  the  new  constitution  was  promulgated  in  1853.  By  this- 
instrument  the  civil  system  was  made  more  regular  and  efficient. 
The  governor,  appointed  by  the  Colonial  Secretary,  should  hold  his 
oflSce  for  six  years.  The  legislative  body  should  be  constituted  of 
two  chambers ;  a  council  and  a  popular  assembly.  Eligibility  to 
oflBce  and  the  electoral  franchise  should  be  guarded  by  stout  prop- 
erty qualfications. 

In  the  year  1873,  there  was  an  electoral  reform  by  which  the 
constituencies  throughout  the  colony  were  equalized  in  represent- 
ative capacity.  The  property  qualifications,  however,  were  retained 
under  the  new  system,  which  included,  as  one  of  its  features,  a  local 
ministry  responsible  to  the  colonial  parliament.  Legislation  pro- 
ceeds from  the  parliamentary  body,  but  is  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  governor  who  acts  in  the  name  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen. 
Important  measures  are  subject  to  the  reversal  and  review  of  the 
Imperial  government  within  two  years  after  their  enactment. 

In  the  meantime,  a  military  system  was  promoted  in  Cape  Colony 
in  coordination  with  the  division  of  the  Imperial  troops,  wliich  were 
always  kept  in  garrison  or  on  duty  in  the  interior.  Beginning  witli 
the  year  1839,  a  system  of  public  education  was  promoted,  the  original 
scheme  being  the  work  of  the  astronomer.  Sir  John  Herschol.    The 


82  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

analysis  of  the  system  includes  undenominational  public  schools;  mis- 
ionary  schools;  schools  for  the  natives,  and  colleges  at  Cape  Town, 
Craaf-Rienet,  Elizabeth,  Somerset  East,  and  the  Dutch  Theological 
Seminary  at  Stellenbosch.  To  this  should  be  added  a  system  of 
public  specialties  and  benevolencies,  including  the  Royal  Observatory 
of  South  Africa,  the  Public  Library  and  Museum,  and  the  Botanical 
Garden  at  Cape  Town.  Such  is  a  general  outline  of  the  British  depen- 
dency at  the  extremity  of  South  Africa  as  it  presented  itself  at  the 
middle  of  the  ninth  decade,  when  the  great  question  of  the  reorgani- 
zation of  Africa  and  its  j)artition  into  suzerainties  was  on  at  the  Berlin 
Conference  of  1884-85. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   SHARE    AND   THE    SPHERE   OF    GERMANY. 

Germany,  in  its  historical  development,  has  been  an  interior 
continental  state.  None  of  the  great  oceans  have  washed  a  German 
shore.  The  maritime  impulse  has  been  almost  as  much  hampered 
as  in  the  case  of  Russia.  The  two  situations.  Teutonic  and  Slavic, 
are  not  dissimilar,  though  the  wide  extent  of  Baltic  coast  possessed 
by  the  new  German  Empire  has  greatly  modified  the  conditions. 

Tlie  fact  here  referred  to  is  the  basis  of  the  strongly  marked 
ethnic  divergences  between  the  Germans  and  the  Dutch.  The 
latter,  next  to  the  English,  are  the  most  sea^faring  of  all  civilized 
peoples.  The  North  Sea  is  a  wide  open  gulf  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
by  that  broad  but  stormy  route  the  Dutch  have  gone  forth  to  all 
the  shores  of  earth.  Meanwhile,  Germany  has  had  an  interior 
development,  and  more  recently  an  interior  unification,  culminating 
in  the  Hohenzollern  Empire. 

For  the  reasons  here  suggested,  Germany  has  not  l)epn  expert 
in  colonization.  Until  the  recent  period,  she  has  never  seriously 
attempted  to  establish  political  dependencies  in  distant  parts  of  the 
earth.  In  this  respect,  her  rival,  France,  has,  ever  since  the  age  of 
discovery,  greatly  surpassed  her.  The  situation  in  Germany  has 
for  a  long  time  promoted  emigration,  and  the  emigration  has  in 
instances  not  a  few  taken  the  proportions  of  an  exodus.  Of  such 
movements  other  nations  have  received  the  benefits;  Germany  has 
lost  what  they  have  gained. 

Reflect  for  a  moment  on  the  tremendous  increment  of  population 

(83) 


84  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

which  has  come  from  the  Germanic  source  to  the  United  States  of 
America.  In  this  country  large  districts  have  been  settled  by  Ger- 
mans, and  some  of  the  most  important  American  cities  have  been 
thoroughly  Germanized.  All  the  English-speaking  countries  and 
several  of  the  countries  held  by  the  Latin  races  have,  in  like  manner, 
received  large  additions  from  the  abundance  of  the  German  fountain. 
But,  as  we  have  said,  the  Germans  have  shown  no  expertness  in 
the  work  of  colonization  proper.  Until  after  the  establishment  of 
the  New  Empire,  they  may  be  said  to  have  virtually  omitted  from 
their  counsels  the  possibilities  of  Africa. 

There  were,  however,  a  long  time  ago,  feeble  manifestations  of 
a  colonizing  purpose  on  the  part  of  Germany.  This  might  be  seen 
as  far  back  as  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  About  the 
close  of  that  century,  insignificant  settlements  of  Germans  were 
made  on  the  Gold  Coast  of  Africa.  Then  there  was  a  long  interval 
in  which  no  such  foreign  enterprise  was  known.  About  1845,  the 
overplus  of  German  population  began  to  seek  an  outlet  in  foreign 
lands,  but  the  streams  of  emigration  flowed,  as  we  have  seen,  not 
toward  independent  colonies,  but  toward  the  United  States,  Aus- 
tralia, and  Brazil ;  while  a  smaller  per  cent  of  the  emigrants  found 
lodgment  in  Cape  Colony. 

Soon  afterwards  an  effort  was  made  by  the  outgoing  Germans 
to  secure  colonial  expansion  in  regions  that  were  claimed,  but  not 
occupied,  by  Great  Britain.  This  movement,  however,  was  success- 
fully opposed.  As  far  back  as  1843,  a  company  of  progressists  in 
Dtisseldorf  undertook  to  establish  an  independent  colony  in  Brazil. 
A  similar  movement  was  directed  to  the  Mosquito  coast,  a  second 
to  Nicaragua,  an.^  a  third  to  Chile.  Another  society  was  organized 
for  like  purposes  at  Berlin,  in  1849.     The  efforts  of  this  body  were 


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THE  SHARE  AND  THE  SPHERE  OF  GERMANY  87 

directed  in  particular  to  the  German  settlements  in  Brazil.  Such  a 
society  was  also  constituted  at  Hamburg. 

Then  began,  with  the  successful  termination  of  the  Prusso- 
Austrian  war,  of  1SG6,  the  modern  ascendency  of  Germany  in  Central 
Europe.  The  movement  culminated  in  the  still  greater  war  with 
France  in  1870.  The  New  German  Empire  emerged  from  the  conflict; 
foreign  relations  were  greatly  extended  and  multiplied,  and  the 
over-active  energies  of  the  people  began  to  seek  satisfaction  in 
colonization  and  foreign  trade. 

Now  it  was,  in  1878,  that  the  German  African  Society  was 
founded  at  Berlin  for  the  express  purpose  of  encouraging  explora- 
tion in  Equatorial  Africa,  and  for  the  establishment  of  trading 
stations  and  colonies.  The  enterprise,  thus  originated,  was  directed 
to  both  western  and  eastern  Africa.  A  series  of  successful  explor- 
ing expeditions  were  sent  out  under  Buchner,  Pogge,  Wissmann, 
Schulze,  Kuld  and  Wolff.  In  the  three  years  extending  from  1881 
to  1884,  vast  areas  were  explored  by  these  enterprising  leaders. 
The  continent  was  entered  from  the  side  of  Angola  and  penetrated 
as  far  as  Lunda,  the  great  kingdom  of  the  Bautus,  Even  the 
southern  tributaries  of  the  Congo  were  visited. 

Chancellor  Bismarck  now  conceived  the  project  of  establishing 
a  great  colonial  dependency  in  the  Congo  Valley.  Just  afterwards 
the  basins  of  the  Niger  and  the  Benue  were  traversed  by  Flegel. 
The  spirit  of  colonizing  pervaded  both  the  people  and  the  admin- 
istration. The  example  of  the  other  nations  also  stimulated 
adventure,  insomuch  that  a  powerful  Colonial  German  Society  was 
established  at  Frankfort.  Thousands  of  members  were  enrolled, 
including  many  of  the  leading  Germans  of  the  time. 

The  publication  of  the  various  societies  and  the  open  discussions 


88  THE  8T0KY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

of  tlid  (lay  were  directed  in  particular  to  the  regions  of  the  Niger 
and  the  Congo.  The  colonizing  purpose  was  whetted  by  the  jealousy 
of  the  Imperial  authorities  lest  some  other  nation  or  nations  should 
pre-occupy  the  great  interior  valleys  of  the  African  rivers.  There 
was  also  an  alarm  lest  the  doors  of  free-trade  should  be  closed  to 
the  merchants  of  those  countries  not  particularly  concerned  in  Afri- 
can colonization.  The  question  was  agitated  how  Germany  might 
most  effectively  protect  herself  against  the  impending  danger  of 
exclusion  from  the  more  valuable  parts  of  the  continent.  The  com- 
mercial spirit  was  aroused ;  the  merchants'  exchange  of  Hamburg 
adopted  resolutions  which  were  directed  to  the  government,  and 
were  proposed  in  order  to  secure  immediate  and  effective  action 
for  the  preservation  of  German  interests  in  Africa. 

The  commercial  bodies  of  Bremen  and  Lubeck  took  similar 
action.  The  doctrine  of  acquiring  end  annexing  African  territory 
was  publicly  promulgated.  The  government  was  urged  to  enter 
the  arena  before  it  should  be  too  late.  Chancellor  Bismarck,  led 
on  by  his  own  aspirations,  and  impelled  by  the  eagerness  of  the 
German  merchants,  decided  to  throw  down  the  glove  at  the  feet  of 
Great  Britain  and  every  other  power  which  might  attempt  further 
to  monopolize  the  unappropriated  areas  of  Africa. 

The  sequel  showed  that  the  Chancellor  had  already  forecast  the 
way  before  him.  After  the  war  with  Austria,  a  Prussian  fleet  had 
been  sent  into-  the  Pacific  as  far  as  Formosa  and  the  Philippines. 
In  this  interval,  the  German  flag  was  seen  in  Delagoa  Bay,  in 
the  Sulu  archipelago,  and  on  the  coast  of  Borneo.  At  that  time, 
however,  the  Prussian  administration  was  little  disposed  to  follow 
its  leader.  Public  opinion  had  to  be  reversed  on  the  subject  of 
colonial  expansion;  but  in  the  later  seventies  a   change  occurred, 


THE  SHARE  AND  THE  SPHERE  OF  GERMANY  89 

and  Bismarck  was  able  to  can-y  forward  his  scheme  of  imperialism. 

In  this  connection  it  is  proper  to  notice  the  antecedent  enter- 
prises, which,  under  individual  or  commercial  initiative,  have  dropped 
a  sprinkling  of  Germans  on  the  shores  of  Africa.  About  1840,  the 
Hamburg  merchants  began  to  send  their  ships  to  the  West  Coast. 
Already  Great  Britain  was  there  in  force,  and  France  was  there  in 
a  promising  attitude.  These  two  powders,  or  rather  their  African 
dependencies,  resisted  the  incoming  of  German  merchantships.  The 
latter  were  obliged  to  adopt  the  deceptions  of  trade  before  they 
were  permitted  to  discliarge  their  own  cargoes  and  to  receive 
African  products  in  return. 

The  German  traders,  however,  persisted  in  their  enterprise.  In 
the  course  of  the  sixth  decennium,  they  planted  themselves  in 
tolerable  security,  not  only  in  Liberia,  but  also  at  several  points 
further  south,  between  the  Cameroons  and  the  Gaboon.  They  found 
a  footing  as  far  down  as  Benguela  in  Angola.  All  of  these  plan- 
tations of  trade  were  made  under  the  patronage  of  the  Woermans 
of  Hamburg.  These  merchant  princes  put  out  still  further  their 
vessels,  made  their  way  to  the  East  Coast,  and  secured  a  commercial 
establishment  in  Zanzibar.  Meanwhile,  in  1854,  a  German  factory 
was  built  on  the  Bight  of  Benin,  northward  from  the  Congo  Delta. 
In  1859,  the  Hanse  towns,  by  their  agents,  induced  the  Sultan  of 
Zanzibar  to  make  a  commercial  treaty  with  them.  In  1869,  this 
compact  was  adopted  as  the  basis  of  a  more  extensive  agreement 
between  the  Sultan  and  the  North  German  Confederation. 

The  trading  establishments  and  the  factories  which  the  Germans 
thus  secured  on  the  West  Coast,  and  on  the  East  Coast  also,  flour- 
ished and  grew  strong;  so  that  when,  in  1884,  Prince  Bismarck 
took   up  the   political    and   ten'itorial   aspects  of  the  question,   he 


90  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

already  liad  a  commercial  basis  of  fact  from  which  to  promote  the 
ambitions  of  his  countrymen.  By  this  time,  fully  sixty  German 
factories  were  in  operation  on  the  western  coast  between  Portuguese 
Guinea  and  Damaraland.  From  these  establishments  explora- 
tions, with  the  beginnings  of  enterprise,  extended  inland  to  an 
indetinite  distance.  The  trading  stations  in  Zanzibar  expanded 
in  like  manner.  Missionary  posts  were  planted  in  many  parts. 
Either  directly  or  indirectly,  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  was  induced 
to  make  the  suggestion  of  a  general  German  protectorate  for 
his  country. 

The  year  1884  was  important  for  the  crisis  which  it  brought 
between  the  foreign  offices  of  the  German  Empire,  on  one  side,  and 
those  of  Great  Britain,  on  the  other.  There  was  danger  of  a  con- 
flict. The  aspirations  of  Germany  were  at  first  ridiculed  by  Her 
Majesty's  government;  but  it  was  soon  found  that  Bismarck  was 
dreadfully  in  earnest.  It  was  also  noted  by  the  shrewd  experts  of 
the  British  ministry  that  great  advantages  might  be  gained  if  a 
proper  understanding  could  be  reached  with  Germany,  relative  to 
the  African  field.  The  principle  of  addition  first  and  division  after- 
wards appealed  strongly  to  both  the  powers.  It  could  but  be  dis- 
cerned that  the  two  great  nations  were  disposed  to  enter  together  the 
coveted  continent. 

The  first  adjustment  between  Germany  and  Great  Britain  was 
effected  in  1880,  when  the  British  officials  were  withdrawn  from 
Damaraland  in  favor  of  the  German.  Only  Walfish  Bay  was  left 
as  a  seat  of  British  authority  on  that  coast.  Bismarck  now  began 
to  solicit  the  cooperation  of  Great  Britain  in  settling  the  affairs, 
not  only  in  Damaraland,  but  also  of  the  Namaqua  region.  At  first 
the  British  government  refused   to  interfere  with  the  conduct  of 


THE  SHARE  AND  THE  SPHERE  OF  GERMANY  91 

the  native  nations  —  except  as  they  concerned  her  own  establish- 
ment at  Walfish  Bay. 

From  this  time  forth,  however,  the  German  Chancellor  led  the 
British  further  and  further.  He  had  been  able  to  outwit  even  such 
astute  statesmen  as  Lord  Beaconsfield  and  Lord  Granville.  In 
1883,  he  permitted  his  son.  Count  Herbert,  to  announce  in  a  semi- 
official way  that  the  Germans  were  about  to  establish  a  new  man- 
ufacturing seat  in  the  country  between  the  Orange  and  the  Little 
Fish  rivers.  This  establishment  would  claim  the  protection  of  the 
Empire.  And  would  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  government  assent  to 
such  an  arrangement? 

Great  Britain  now  showed  the  concessive  spirit.  In  February  of 
1883,  Lord  Granville,  of  the  foreign  office,  directed  a  communication 
to  Prince  Bismarck  as  follows: 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  acquaint  your  Excellency  that,  having 
consulted  the  Colonial  Office  upon  the  subject,  I  am  informed  by  that 
department  that  the  Government  of  the  Cape  Colony  have  certain 
establishments  along  the  coast,  but  that,  without  more  precise 
information  as  to  the  spot  where  the  German  factory  will  be  estab- 
lished, it  is  not  possible  to  form  any  opinion  as  to  whether  the  British 
authorities  would  have  it  in  their  power  to  give  it  protection  in  case 
of  need.  If,  however,  the  German  Government  would  be  good  enough 
to  furnish  the  required  information,  it  would  be  forwarded  to  the 
Government  of  Cape  Colony,  with  instructions  to  report  whether  and 
to  what  extent  their  wishes  could  be  met." 

Under  the  leadership  of  Hen-  Lilderitz,  the  proposed  establish- 
ment was  nevertheless  effected.  A  German  ship  proceeded  fi'om  Cape 
Town  beyond  the  northern  limit  of  Cape  Colony,  and  made  a  landing 
at  a  point  two  hunch-od  and  eighty  miles  south  of  Walfish  Bay.     In 


92  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  interior,  at  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles,  a  missionary 
station,  called  Bethany,  had  already  been  planted.  The  commander 
of  the  expedition  made  an  agreement  with  the  native  chief,  by  which 
he  secured  the  district  around  the  Bay  of  Angra  Pequena,  and  thus  on 
its  own  territory  the  German  flag  was  authoritatively  raised  on  the 
West  Coast.  When  the  British  became  alarmed  and  sent  a  ship  to 
Angra  Pequena, 'the  vessel  was  coolly  warned  away.  "These  are 
German  waters.  Captain,"  said  the  commander  of  the  ship  Carola, 
over  which  floated  the  Imperial  flag  of  the  HohenzoUerns. 

In  the  issue  which  followed,  in  the  summer  of  1883,  Great  Britain 
moderated  her  attitude,  and  Germany  was  permitted  to  hold  her 
own  at  Angra  Pequena.  Aye,  more;  the  Imperial  government  was 
tolerated  in  its  assumption  of  a  right  to  interfere  with  the  affairs  of 
the  native  kings,  and  thus  to  extend  indefinitely  the  "sphere"  of 
German  influence. 

The  ambition  of  Prince  Bismarck  to  obtain  an  adequate  share  of 
Africa  was  rather  inflamed  than  appeased  with  his  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  square  miles  of  territory  at  Angra  Pequena.  The  policy  was 
at  once  adopted  of  enlarging  the  colonial  dependency,  and  other 
points,  both  east  and  west,  were  chosen  as  the  centers  of  departure. 
Late  in  1883,  England,  foreseeing  her  own  advantages  from  the  move- 
ment, notified  Bismarck  that  the  British  government  disclaimed  any 
intention  of  expansion  west  of  the  twentieth  degree  of  east  longitude. 
To  this  meridian,  Germany  might  accordingly  "expand."  Thus  was 
constituted  German  Southwest  Africa.  An  Imperial  commissioner 
was  despatched  to  the  new  colony. 

Turning  from  the  development  on  the  West  Coast,  we  advance  to 
the  East  Coast  on  which  Germany  now  sought  to  gain  a  footing.  The 
objective  point  was  St.  Lucia  Bay,  the  principal  harbor  of  Zululand. 


THE  SHARE  AND  THE  SPHERE  OF  GERMANY  93 

In  1884,  Herr  Einwald  was  dispatched  to  that  place,  but  he  was 
headed  oft'  by  a  British  ship.  The  government  at  Cape  Colony  had 
discovered  an  old  treaty  with  the  Kingdom  of  Panda,  or  Igbira  on  the 
Benue,  which  compact  conceded  St.  Lucia  Bay  to  Great  Britain. 
'  It  was  now  Bismarck's  turn  to  recede.  The  Chancellor,  with  a 
show  of  chivalry,  announced  that  Germany  would  not  institute  any 
claims  to  African  territory  south  of  Delagoa  Bay.  For  the  time,  the 
expansionist  project  on  the  East  Coast  was  baffled,  but  Prince 
Bismarck  found  his  opportunity  in  a  state  of  affairs  existing  on  the 
west.  Did  not  the  country  of  the  Cameroons  offer  an  inducement  for 
a  new  enterprise  "in  the  interests  of  civilization?"  Thither  the 
Imperial  representative  of  the  German  government.  Dr.  Gustav 
Nachtigal,  was  sent  in  the  sjmng  of  1884.  Bismarck,  through  his 
charge  d'affairs  at  London,  made  on  the  occasion  the  following  state- 
ment to  Her  Majesty's  ministry: 

"I  have  the  honor  to  state  to  your  Lordship  that  the  Imperial 
Consul-General,  Dr.  Nachtigal,  has  been  commissioned  by  my  Gov- 
ernment to  visit  the  West  Coast  of  Africa  in  the  course  of  the  next 
few  months  in  order  to  complete  the  information  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Foreign  Office  at  Berlin  on  the  state  of  German  commerce 
on  that  coast.  With  this  object  Dr.  Nachtigal  will  shortly  embark 
at  Lisbon  on  board  the  gunboat  Mnwe.  He  will  put  himself  into 
communication  with  the  authorities  in  the  English  possessions  on  the 
said  coast,  and  is  authorized  to  conduct,  on  behalf  of  the  Imperial 
Government,  negotiations  connected  with  certain  questions.  I 
venture,  in  accordance  with  my  instructions,  to  beg  your  Excellency 
to  be  so  good  as  to  cause  the  authorities  in  the  British  possessions  in 
West  Africa  to  be  furnished  with  suitable  recommendations." 

It  was  easy  to  see  that  the  business  of  dividing  Africa  was  now 


94  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

on.  Two  of  the  most  powerful  nations  of  Christendom  had  embarked 
in  the  enterprise.  The  movement  gained  momentum.  The  work  of 
Nachtigal  on  the  west  was  highly  successful.  His  enterprise  ended 
with  the  relinquishment  by  England  of  the  whole  coast  bordered 
by  the  mountains  of  the  Cameroons  as  far  as  the  river  Del  Rey. 
Nachtigal  for  his  part  succeeded  before  his  death,  which  occurred 
off  Cape  Palmas  on  the  20th  of  April,  1885,  in  annexing,  not  only 
Angra  Pequena  and  the  Cameroons,  but  also  Tongaland  on  the 
East  Coast,  thus  supplying  for  the  German  Empire  a  comparatively 
easy  access  from  the  coast  to  the  South  African  Republic. 

The  relations  of  the  latter  government  to  Germany  had  been  so 
friendly  that  overtures  were  openly  made  for  the  establishment  of  a 
protectorate  of  the  Empire  over  the  Transvaal.  From  Tongaland  to  the 
Transvaal  territories  a  railway  might  easily  be  laid,  thus  giving  to  the 
Germans  a  great  advantage  in  the  oncoming  partition  of  the  continent. 

It  appears  in  the  retrospect  that  while  this  really  surprising 
activity  of  Germany  was  bearing  on  to  the  complete  establishment 
of  her  interests  in  Africa,  Great  Britain  slept.  While  she  slumbered 
her  possession  in  the  region  of  German  enterprise  was  narrowed  to 
Walfish  Bay.  Prince  Bismarck  went  forward  steadily  to  claim  for 
the  Empire  which  he  represented,  the  same  kind  of  suzerainty  in 
the  dependencies  which  Great  Britain  had  herself  assumed  the 
right  to  exercise  over  her  own  possessions. 

Until  May  of  1884,  the  Cape  Colony  government  seemed  oblivious 
to  the  danger  of  German  ascendency  on  the  West  Coast.  At  that 
date  a  communication  was  sent  to  Parliament,  recommending  the 
assumption  of  sovereignty  over  the  whole  of  that  region.  Not 
even  Angra  Pequena  was  excepted  from  the  scheme.  Hereupon 
the  German  Consul  at  the  Cape  informed  the  British  administration 


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THE  SHAKE  AND  THE  SPHERE  OF  UEKMANY  97 

that  Angra  Pequena  was  now  under  the  protection  of  the  German 
Empire !     Then  there  was  a  brief  period  of  dilly-dallying. 

Prince  Bismarck,  however,  was  now  in  a  position  to  carry  things 
with  a  high  hand.  He  sent  his  son,  Count  Herbert,  to  London,  and 
in  June  of  1S84,  the  British  Cabinet  formally  recognized  the 
German  protectorate  on  the  disputed  coast.  The  ''disputed  coast" 
had  by  this  time  extended  itself  for  a  great  distance,  even  as  far 
as  the  twenty-sixth  parallel  of  south  latitude.  Soon  afterwards 
the  German  warship  Elizabeth,  commanded  by  Captain  Schering, 
was  sent  to  Angra  Pequena,  aud  the  Imperial  flag  was  raised 
symbolizing  the  suzerainty  of  Germany  over  the  African  coast  from 
the  parallel  just  mentioned,  that  is,  the  southern  limit  of  Angola, 
southward  to  the  mouth  of  the  Orange  River.  Only  the  Walfish 
Bay  station  of  Great  Britain  was  excepted  from  this  delimitation. 

German  Southwest  Africa  thus  became  a  fact  in  the  map  of 
the  world.  It  was  not  as  yet,  however,  a  fact  in  the  diplomacy  of 
the  nations.  This  point  remained  to  be  decided  at  the  great  con- 
ference held  in  Berlin  in  the  autumn  of  18S4.  But  before  proceeding 
to  narrate  the  work  of  that  body  it  is  desirable  to  point  out  the 
appearance  of  one  or  two  other  nations  on  the  scene,  and  to  define 
their  respective  parts  in  the  great  partition  which  was  at  hand.  True 
it  is,  the  influence  of  France  and  Italy  has  been  felt  almost  wholly  in 
the  vast  region  north  of  the  scene  of  tiie  present  contest  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  continent.  Nevertheless,  France  has  displayed 
her  power  on  the  West  Coast  below  the  equator,  and  her  ascendency 
in  Northern  Africa  is  undisputed.  We  shall,  in  the  following  chapter, 
therefore,  trace  out  with  some  care  the  evolution  of  French  Africa, 
and  note  the  present  status  of  France  among  the  contestants  who 
claim  as  their  right  the  partition  of  the  continent. 

6 


CHAPTER  VI 

FRANCE    AND   ITALY    CLAIM    THEIR    PORTIONS 

It  cannot  be  said  tliat  in  modern  times  France  has  been  an 
indifferent  spectator  of  the  imperial  ambitions  of  other  nations.  In 
the  year  1875,  the  Count  de  Brazza  appeared  on  the  scene  as  a  rival 
of  Henry  M.  Stanley,  in  the  exploration  of  Central  Africa.  The 
Count,  though  an  Italian  by  birth,  was  a  Frenchman  by  education 
and  by  service  in  the  French  navy.  He  had  for  his  coadjutors 
M.  Marche  and  Dr.  Ballay. 

These  three  courageous  explorers  set  out  on  an  expedition  to 
ascend  the  Ogove  river,  which  flows  into  the  South  Atlantic  just 
below  the  equatorial,  line.  The  notion  of  the  leaders  was  that  they 
might  follow  up  the  course  of  the  stream  into  the  interior  of  the 
continent.  The  event  did  not  justify  the  expectation.  What  with 
falls  and  rapids,  and  what  with  a  diminishing  volume  of  water,  the 
expedition  was  soon  obliged  to  al)andon  the  Ogove ;  but  De  Brazza 
pressed  on  to  the  east  until  he  passed  the  watershed  and  found  the 
tributaries  of  the  Alima  flowing  eastward.  Stanley,  however,  had 
already  solved  the  problem  of  these  streams,  and  was  al)le  to 
announce  that  they  were  in  reality  tributaries  of  the  Congo.  None 
the  less,  De  Brazza's  expedition  led  to  the  planting  on  the  lower 
Ogove  of  a  settlement,  at  flrst  designated  as  the  Gaboon,  but  aft(M- 
1891  by  the  official  name  of  French  Congo. 

At  one  time,  namely  in  November  of  18S(),  when  De  lirazza 
was  descending  the  Congo,  he  met  Stanley  on  his  way  up  the 
valley.    The   Frenchman   was  very   successful   in  his  relations  witli 

(99) 


100  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  native  chiefs.  Being  the  representative  of  the  International 
Association,  he  made  haste  to  confirm  a  treaty  witli  a  head  chief 
in  the  Congo  valley.  The  negro  emperor  placed  himself  under  the 
protection  of  the  French  flag  and  acknowledged  the  suzerainty  of 
the  Republic. 

Two  important  stations  in  this  part  of  the  continent,  still 
surviving,  bear  witness  in  their  names  to  the  events  just  narrated. 
These  are  the  African  town  of  Kintamo,  which  the  French  designate 
as  Brazzaville,  and  the  station  on  the  Ogove,  to  which  the  explorer 
gave  the  name  of  Franceville.  The  importance  of  these  prelim- 
inaries lay  in  the  fact  of  the  co'mcidence  of  the  British  and  French 
flags  in  entering  the  equatorial  region  of  Central  Africa. 

Without,  for  iHtie  present,  tracing  further  the  successful  begin- 
nings of  French  Congo,  we  shall  notice  the  appearance  of  still 
another  claimant  in  this  great  and  inviting  region.  The  King  of 
the  Belgians  had  been  aroused  by  the  conference  of  international 
representatives  which  was  held  at  his  capital.  While  Stanley  and 
De  Brazza  were  trying  each  to  circumvent  the  other  and  to  establish 
priority  of  claims,  a  train  of  circumstances  brought  the  new  power 
into  the  field,  threatening  to  supplant  both  empire-makers  by  the 
establishment  of  older  rights  on  the  African  coast  and  to  it. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Portugal  had  been  first  on  the 
shores  of  West  Africa.  Although  she  had  been  thrust  aside  in  the 
historical  jostlings  of  the  ages,  she  had  never  relinquished  her 
original  claims.  According  to  her  own  interpretation,  her  rights 
in  the  sub-equatorial  region,  extending  from  about  the  fifth  to  the 
eighth  parallel  were  not  to  be  disputed  by  any  other  power.  As 
far  back  as  1856,  however,  the  Portuguese  assumption  had,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  been  controverted  by  Great   Britain ;  but  in   1882, 


FRANCE  AND  ITALY  CLAIM  THEIR  PORTIONS         101 

the  representative  of  Portugal  at  the  court  of  St.  James  stoutly 
maintained  the  original  claim.  When  the  matter  came  to  negotia- 
tion, Great  Britain  desired  that  equal  privileges  for  all  nations  on 
the  disputed  coast  should  be  granted  without  regard  to  the  priority 
of  Portugal. 

In  all  such  cases,  "equal  privileges"  signify,  in  the  British 
diplomatic  contention  that  all  ports  and  trading  centers  should  be 
open  alike  to  all  nations,  special  privileges  being  granted  to  none. 
Finally,  however,  in  1884,  the  Anglo-Portuguese  treaty  w^as  con- 
cluded, in  which  the  ancient  dominion  of  Portugal  was  recognized 
as  being  in  force.  It  appears  that  this  assent  of  Great  Britain  to 
the  revival  of  a  territorial  tradition  was  based  on  the  fact  of  the 
expectation  which  Lord  Granville  entertained,  that  the  King  of 
the  Belgians  would  soon  make  away  with  the  Portuguese  claims, 
and  that  he  could  be  induced  to  transfer  the  same  to  the  British 
crown. 

Meanwhile,  however,  the  Belgian  ruler,  by  his  agent,  Mr.  Stanley, 
prosecuted  his  independent  enterprise,  until  the  explorer  finally 
issued  at  the  mouth  of  the  Congo.  He  brought  wath  him  the  first 
authentic  revelation  of  the  actual  character  of  the  vast  interior  of 
the  continent.  This  being  done  under  the  auspices  of  Belgium, 
gave  to  that  power  such  precedence  as  completely  to  change  the 
aspect  of  the  whole  question.  Thus,  from  a  personal,  as  well  as 
from  a  Belgian,  a  British,  or  German  source,  the  vast  African  question 
obtruded  itself,  calling  loudly  for  a  solution.  The  success  of  Stanley 
was,  as  we  have  seen,  one  of  the  powerful  antecedents  which  made 
necessary  the  Berlin  Conference  of  1884.  England  and  Germany 
were  both  borne  forward  and  induced  to  take  the  position  that  the 
old  Portuguese  claims  to  the  country   of   the  Congo   could   be  no 


102       '■■■      .  Vriiii  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

longer  admitted.'  It' was' a  pretension  which  had  been  abolished  by 
time,  working  in  the  service  of  history. 

France,  in  the  meantime,  went  forward  with  more  than  her 
usual  enthusiasm  to  make  it  impossible  for  Great  Britain  to  get 
possession  of  the  coast  which  she  claimed  for  herself.  The  British 
posts  at  Gambia,  Sierra  Leone,  and  Lagos,  were  narrowed  as  much 
as  possible  by  French  pressure  around  them.  The  scheme  of  the 
Republic  contemplated  nothing  less  than  securing  the  whole  valley 
of  the  Niger  for  the  establishment  of  a  vast  colonial  dependency. 
This  measure,  however,  Great  Britain  successfully  resisted.  A  British 
protectorate  was  created  on  the  Benue,  which  is  the  south  branch  of 
the  Niger.  The  French  gained  possession  of  the  upper  or  principal 
valley,  but  not  without  serious  interference  on  the  part  of  the 
Germans. 

The  plan  of  the  French  at  this  juncture  was  ambitious.  It  was, 
in  a  word,  to  connect  the  new  dependencies  of  France  in  Sene- 
gambia  with  her  great  Mediterranean  province  of  Algeria,  and  to 
spread  the  one  until  it  should  join  the  other.  Such  an  enterprise 
necessitated  the  construction  of  a  railway  across  the  Sahara  fi'om 
the  Upper  Niger  to  the  Algerian  frontier.  Nor  shall  we  be  blamed 
for  anticipating  the  great  success  of  this  scheme,  which  flourished 
to  such  an  extent  that  by  the  year  1895  the  map  of  Africa  showed 
in  the  northwest  as  French  temtory  the  largest  single  European 
dominion  in  the  whole  continent! 

As  early  as  1881,  the  French  Republic  sent  out  her  engineers 
to  run  trial  lines  across  the  desert  and  to  report  on  the  practica- 
bility of  the  railway  scheme.  Great  difficulty,  however,  was 
encountered  in  the  enterprise.  The  engineering  corps  had  not 
proceeded  far  into  the  Sahara  until  the  intrusion  was  resented  by 


FRANCE  AND  ITALY  CLAIM  THEIR  PORTIONS         103 

the  native  Tuaregs,  who  fell  upon  and  destroyed  the  French  party. 
The  expedition  was  so  ill-starred  that  French  ambition  was  con- 
strained to  find  another  vent. 

This,  however,  was  easily  done.  For  on  the  eastern  frontier 
of  Algeria  lay  the  exposed  kingdom  of  Tunis.  Under  the  Turkish 
deys  that  country  had  sunk  into  an  abject  condition  bordering  on 
barbarism.  Tunis  in  commerce  was  a  semi-piratical  state  which 
the  more  civilized  nations  did  not  fail  to  contemn  and  punish. 
France  resented  the  course  and  condition  of  Tunis  to  the  extent 
of  an  invasion,  which  was  undertaken  successfully  in  1881.  On  the 
12th  of  May  in  that  year  a  French  protectorate  was  declared,  and 
the  Algerian  dependency  of  France  was  thus  extended  on  the  east 
to  include  the  vilayet  of  Tripoli. 

If,  then,  we  contemplate  the  African  map  as  a  whole,  tracing 
out  the  French  possessions  in  the  era  just  preceding  the  Berlin 
Conference  of  1884  and  the  general  partition  of  the  continent,  and 
if  we  look  for  the  blue  to  indicate  the  territorial  interests  of  France, 
we  shall  find  on  the  north,  Algeria,  including  Tunis;  on  the  west, 
extending  from  Cape  Blanco  to  Gambia  and  indefinitely  up  the 
Senegal  to  about  the  twelfth  meridian  west,  the  coast  dependency 
of  Senegal ;  in  the  interior,  the  two  stations  of  Kita  and  Bammako ; 
on  the  coast,  the  small  settlement  of  Nunez;  on  the  Gulf  of  Guinea, 
next  to  the  Gold  Coast,  Bassam ;  in  the  Cameroons,  the  station  of 
Bantanga ;  under  the  equator,  the  Gaboon ;  on  the  Congo  Coast, 
Mayumba  and  Loanga;  on  the  east,  off  Madagascar,  the  three  islands 
of  St.  Mary,  Nosabe,  and  Mayotta;  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Aden,  Obok 
Musha.  Such  were  the  African  possessions  for  the  preservation  of 
which  France  was  to  go  armed  into  the  Berlin  Conference. 

One  other  circumstance  must  be  added,  and  that  is  the  French 


104  THE  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

campaip^ns  which  were  made  into  the  desert  region  at  the  beginning 
of  the  ninth  decennium.  It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  Sahara 
railway  scheme  would  be  abandoned.  In  1880,  an  important 
expedition,  in  which  military  conquest,  political  expediency,  and 
scientific  discovery  were  all  combined,  was  undertaken  into  the 
interior.  It  was  thought  that  the  Upper  Niger  might  be  connected 
by  rail  with  far-off  Medina.  It  was  on  this  expedition  that 
Bammako  and  Kita,  in  the  Niger  valley,  far  in  the  interior,  were 
taken  and  garrisoned  by  the  French. 

The  commanders  of  the  force  engaged  in  this  work  were 
Colonel  Desbordes  and  Captain  Gallieni.  The  king  of  the  Fulah 
"empire,"  covering  this  region,  was  Ahmadu,  who  first  resisted  and 
then  tolerated  the  French,  to  the  extent  of  making  with  them,  in 
March  of  1881,  a  significant  treaty.  By  this  the  protectorate  of 
France  was  acknowledged  for  the  left  bank  of  the  Upper  Niger. 
Here,  however,  for  a  period  of  four  years,  the  progress  of  the  French 
was  stayed.  Not  until  after  the  Berlin  Conference  of  1884  were 
hostilities  renewed  by  the  French  under  Colonel  Frey,  who  invaded 
the  country  of  King  Samorry,  whom  he  compelled  to  sign  a 
favorable  treaty.    And  here  France  made  a  pause. 

It  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  modern  history  that  Italy  and  the 
Italians  have  played  so  small  a  part  in  the  game  of  "expansion." 
Why  should  ancient  Italy  and  the  Roman  race  have  been  able  to 
dictate  to  the  whole  world  for  a  thousand  years  what  should  and 
what  should  not  be  done,  while  the  same  territory  and  the 
descendants  of  the  Romans  have  not  been  able  to  dictate  to  any 
part  of  the  world  for  one  day  or  one  hour  of  time?  The  wonder  is 
increased  by  the  fact  that  the  splendid  enterprise  and  brilliant  genius 
of  individual  Italians  have,  in  the  meantime,  transformed  the  world. 


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FRANCE  AND  ITALY  CLAIM  THEIR  PORTIONS         107 

Who  first  beheld  the  crescent  of  Venus  and  the  moons  of 
Jupiter?  An  Italian.  Who  converted  Music  from  the  whistle  and 
screech  and  tom-tom  booming  and  mere  trumpet  blare  of  the 
ancients,  both  civilized  and  savage,  into  the  divine  harmonies  of  the 
modern  art?  The  Italians.  Who  found  the  New  World ?  An  Italian 
adventurer.  Who  fastened  the  anchor  of  England  off  the  eastern 
shore  of  North  America?  An  Italian  born.  Who  at  the  imperial 
fete  in  Paris  tapped  the  Austrian  ambassador  on  the  shoulder  and 
expressed  his  regret  at  the  "altered  relations"  between  his  master 
and  Napoleon  III?  The  Italian  diplomatist,  Cavour — one  of  the 
greatest  of  modern  statesmen.  But  the  nation,  as  such,  has  been 
as  sterile  as  an  unblossoming  rod.  In  the  discovery  of  foreign  lands 
she  has  been  first,  and  in  colonizing  last.  It  was  only  after  the 
deliberations  at  the  Berlin  Congress  that  an  Italian  share  in  Africa 
was  recognized  by  the  nations.  Even  this,  perhaps,  would  not  have 
been  accomplished  had  it  not  been  that  Italy  had  become  a  member 
of  the  Dreibund,  of  which  Germany  was  the  unit,  and  Austria 
and  Umberto's  kingdom  the  two  ciphers,  making  the  important 
one  hundred ! 

There  had  not  been,  however,  a  total  failure  of  Italian  enter- 
prise. In  1875  a  fleet  from  Italy  descended  on  the  island  of 
Socotra,  lying  eastward  from  Cape  Gardafui.  There  was  a  manifest 
attempt  to  take  possession  of  that  point,  whose  inhabitants,  being 
Christians  of  the  Nestorian  sect,  might  be  supposed  to  harmonize 
peaceably,  if  not  freely,  with  the  South-European  people.  Italy 
would,  indeed,  have  gained  possession  of  the  island  but  for  the 
opposition  of  England.  That  power,  already  ascendant  on  tlie  East 
Coast  between  the  fifth  degree  south  and  Somoliland,  would  not 
brook  the  acquirement  of  Socotra  by  even  so  weak  a  state  as  Italy. 


108  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

The  latter  was  obliged,  for  the  time,  to  content  herself  with  a  small 
footing  in  the  Bay  of  Assab,  near  the  southern  extremit}'  of  the  Red 
Sea.  This  she  liad  acquired  in  1870.  The  spot  had  been  chosen  and 
purchased  as  a  coaling  station,  but  it  was  not  formally  recognized  as 
an  Italian  basis  until  the  year  1880. 

Wlion  once  well  posted,  however,  the  Italians  began  to  ascend 
the  lied  Sea  and  to  spread  northward  along  the  coast  in  the  direction 
of  Massowah  and  Suakim.  They  would  have  diffused  themselves 
southward  also  but  for  the  existence  and  opposition  of  the  French 
establishment  at  Obok,  just  below  the  strait  of  Mandeb.  The 
rather  resolute  clutch  which  Italy  made  at  this  coast  did  not  create 
much  interest  among  the  European  powers,  but  the  Abyssinians 
were  excited  to  active  belligerency. 

We  are  here  led  by  the  nature  of  the  facts  to  anticipate  what 
occurred  some  time  after  the  greater  African  questions  had  been 
settled  by  the  Berlin  Congress.  For  about  fifteen  years,  the  Italian 
coaling  station  of  Assab  was  the  only  firm  hold  which  Umberto 
had  on  the  East  Coast.  But  at  length  the  opportunity  came,  not 
only  for  spreading  northward,  but  for  gaining  still  more  advan- 
tageous stations  on  the  Red  Sea.  About  the  middle  of  the  ninth 
decennium,  the  broil  of  Egypt  with  the  Mahdists  of  the  Sudan 
became  so  heated  that  any  movement  which  seemed  to  threaten 
the  latter  was  looked  upon  most  favorably  by  Great  Britain,  who 
viewed  the  whole  matter  through  her  Egyptian  spectacles.  Italy 
was  therefore  encouraged  to  seize  Massowah,  which  was  done;  and 
further  progress  was  made  until  the  Italian  coast  was  estimated  to 
extend  for  a  distance  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles;  that  is,  from 
Obok  to  Cape  Kasar. 

This  was  more  than  King  John  of  Abyssinia  could  bear.    War 


FRANCE  AND  ITALY  CLAIM  THEIR  PORTIONS         109 

broke  out  between  the  Italians  and  the  Abyssinians,  and  in  January  of 
1887,  the  former  were  virtually  exterminated.  King  John  had  the 
satisfaction  of  driving  the  invaders  to  the  coast.  Tliis  brave- 
monarch  soon  died,  to  be  succeeded  by  his  son  Menelek,  who  fol- 
lowed the  same  policy  as  his  father.  After  a  year,  however,  a 
treaty  was  agreed  to  by  him,  and  henceforth  Italy  claimed  a  pro- 
tectorate over  Abyssinia.  Menelek  insisted,  however,  that  he  held 
a  protectorate  over  the  Italian  coast ! 

Meanwhile  the  situation  encouraged  foreign  intervention. 
France  and  her  friend  Russia  sympathized  with  Abyssinia.  The 
former  shipped  muskets,  and  the  latter  sent  priests,  to  assist  King 
Menelek.  In  course  of  time,  a  Russian  fleet  was  seen  hawking 
around  the  French  station  at  Obok.  Nevertheless,  the  Italian 
"sphere"  was  enlarged  and  confirmed;  for  Great  Britain  favored 
the  "sphere."  In  the  years  1890-91,  the  enterprise  of  Italian  colon- 
ization was  so  greatly  promoted  that  the  dependency  was  con- 
verted into  the  colony  of  Erytrea.  An  autonomous  government 
was  instituted,  and  a  local  administration  was  established  on  a 
democratic  basis. 

The  project,  however,  cost  Italy  a  large  sum  of  money,  and 
her  only  compensation  was  in  seeing  her  African  dependency 
enlarging  itself,  first  from  a  coaling  station  in  Assab  Bay,  to  a 
district  fifty-two  thousand  square  miles  in  extent;  then  to  a  pro- 
tectorate holding  an  area  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  thousand 
square  miles;  and  finally  to  a  colonial  state  having  a  dominion  of 
more  than  six  hundred  thousand  square  miles. 

In  the  meantime,  a  serious  controversy  arose  between  Italy 
and  Great  Britain.  The  dominion  of  the  latter  was  said  to  extend 
northward  beyond  the  river  Jub,  just  below  the  equator,  while  the 


110  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

claim  of  Italy  extended  southward  to  the  same  stream,  thus  pro- 
ducing' a  dangerous  overlap  of  British  and  Italian  ground.  Italy, 
however,  was  at  this  time  peiforming  so  good  a  service  by  playing 
upon  tlie  hinderpai-t  of  Dervishdom  that  the  British  lion's  features 
relaxed  from  a  snarl  into  something  resembling  a  smile.  The  Jub 
was  accordingly  conceded  to  Italy  as  her  southern  limit. 

These  events  conclude  the  episode  of  Italy  in  Africa  down  to 
the  time  when  Dr.  Jameson  and  his  party  reached  Krugersdorp 
and  thus  marking  an  epoch.  Nearly  all  of  the  movements  discussed 
in  the  present  chapter  belong  to  the  history  of  equatorial  and  North- 
eni  Africa  and  to  the  period  subsequent  to  the  crisis  of  1884.  These 
events  are  therefore,  only  remotely  or  incidentally  concerned  with 
the  transformation  of  the  Southern  part  of  the  continent.  In  the 
following  chapter  we  shall  pass  from  the  development  of  separate 
European  colonial  states  in  Africa  to  the  more  general  international 
settlement  of  the  questions  involved  by  the  Congress  of  Berlin. 


CHAPTER  VII 

•  CONGRESS    OF    BERLIN    AND    THE    CONGO    STATE 

After  the  powerful  interference  of  Germany  in  the  affairs  of 
Africa,  and  the  successful  establishment  by  her  of  a  great  depend- 
ency on  the  southwest  coast,  a  settlement  of  all  the  questions 
arising  from  the  movement,  by  an  international  conference,  became 
an  imperative  necessity.  All  of  the  circumstances  liitherto  narrated 
were  but  antecedents  of  that  Congress,  and  determinative  of  its 
actions.  It  is  in  the  nature  of  such  bodies  to  extort  from  the 
past  the  conditions  for  the  government  of  the  present  and  for  the 
settlement  of  the  exigency,  whatever  it  may  be.  Very  rarely  does 
a  diplomatical  or  ambassadorial  meeting  do  more  than  declare 
what  history  has  already  accomplished. 

The  more  immediate  cause  of  the  Conference  of  Berlin  was 
the  course  which  Germany  had  sucessfully  taken  in  suddenly 
acquiring  a  great  dependency  on  the  southwest  coast  of  Africa. 
This  success  aroused  all  the  other  powers  to  the  exercise  of 
unwonted  activity.  There  was  a  rush  of  them  all — as  if  to  gather 
as  much  as  could  be  carried  away  of  some  immense  spoil  poured 
from  the  horn  of  destiny.  Great  Britain,  France,  Belgium,  Portugal, 
were  all  frightened,  each  in  its  kind,  at  the  prospect  of  getting  less 
than  the  lion's  share  of  the  treasure. 

The  Congo  region  had  been  suddenly  opened  up.  All  the  way 
around  the  coast  from  Liberia  to  Bab-el-Mandeb  there  was  disturb- 
ance,  jealousy,   scheming   to   get    the    better    part.     The   stronger 

nations  might  have  been  willing  to  trust  to  force,  but  the  weaker 

(111) 


112  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

appealed  to  diplomacy.  The  weaker  nation  is,  indeed,  always  ready 
to  arbitrate.  The  stronger  nation  decides  that  there  are  always 
certai7i  questions  which  must  be  decided  by  its  own  judgment  alone. 
Nations,  like  individuals,  often  consider  that  the  end  justifies  the 
means,  and  history  alone  must  write  the  verdict. 

In  the  case  of  the  African  imbroglio,  it  remained  for  Portugal 
to  ask  for  an  umpire.  Her  appeal  was  made  to  France  first,  and 
France  assented.  This  much  gained,  the  proposition  was  carried 
to  Germany,  and  Prince  Bismarck  gave  his  approval  also.  Thus 
strengthened,  the  movement  reached  England,  and  in  June  of  1884, 
Lord  Granville,  acting  for  the  Ministry,  announced  the  favorable 
decision  of  Great  Britain.  The  conference  was  accordingly  convened 
to  meet  in  the  city  of  Berlin,  in  November  of  1884. 

For  the  most  part,  the  ambassadors  of  the  leading  states  of 
Christendom,  who  were  then  resident  at  the  German  court,  were 
empowered  to  act  as  representatives  of  their  respective  governments, 
in  the  work  of  the  Congress.  Every  considerable  power  in  Europe, 
with  the  single  exception  of  Switzerland,  participated  in  the  pro- 
ceedings. The  government  of  the  United  States  was  represented 
by  the  Minister  Plenipotentiary  accredited  to  the  German  Empire. 

Accordingly,  on  the  15th  of  November,  the  Congress  was 
organized.  The  sittings  continued  until  the  30th  of  January,  1885. 
The  results  were  made  up  in  a  document  entitled  the  "General 
Act  of  the  Conference  of  Berlin."  To  this,  the  representatives  of 
the  various  nations  aflQxed  their  signatures  on  the  24th  of  February 
1885.  All  the  leading  states  of  Europe,  except  Switzerland  (not 
represented)  and  the  United  States  of  America,  became  powers 
signatory  to  the  document  which  embodied  the  results  of  the 
conference.      Nor  may  we  pass  from  the  event  without  noting  the 


CONGRESS  OF  BERLIN  AND  THE  CONGO  STATE        113 

presence  and  membership  of  Henry  M.  Stanley  in  the  Congress, 
and  the  double  relation  which  he  held  before  that  body.  In  one 
character  he.  was  a  representative  of  the  United  States,  in  the  capacity 
of  a  geographical  expert.  But  in  his  other  character,  and  more 
properly,  he  represented  the  interests  of  his  friend  and  patron,  King 
Leopold  of  Belgium. 

The  proceedings  of  the  Berlin  Congress  were  full  of  interest  and 
enthusiasm.  The  nations  seemed  to  have  suddenly  awaked  to  the 
overwhelming  importance  of  possessing  and  developing  the  remain- 
ing one  of  the  four  major  continents  of  the  world.  The  attention 
of  the  delegates  was  fixed  in  particular  upon  the  valley  of  the 
Congo.  The  impelling  motive  was  commercial  rather  than  political. 
If  the  nations  strove  with  each  other  for  the  new  field  of  oppor- 
tunity, it  was  because  it  offered  the  tremendous  rewards  of  trada 
The  question  was  therefore  on,  in  full  tide,  from  the  beginning. 
What  kind  of  trade  shall  it  be? 

It  was  here  that  the  great  modern  proposition  of  the  so-called 
"open  door"  began  to  be  firmly  advanced  and  defended.  It  soon 
appeared  in  the  deliberations  that  it  was  not  so  much  a  question 
as  to  what  power  should  be  in  the  ascendant  in  the  Congo  valley,  as 
it  was  the  question  whether  all  trade  therewith  should  be  free.  In  a 
short  time  this  inquiry  was  decided  in  the  affirmative.  As  to  the  issue 
of  a  protectorate,  that  lay  for  the  most  part  between  Belgium  and 
France,  with  the  advantages  in  favor  of  the  former.  Stanley  had  done 
the  work  for  Leopold,  who  had  given  him  his  patronage.  More  and 
more  the  deliberations  turned  to  the  establishment  of  a  great  interior 
state  under  the  suzerainty  of  the  king  of  the  Belgians.  As  to  the 
commercial  question,  the  discussions  went  strongly  and  altogether 
towards  the  opening  and  neutrality  of  both  the  Congo  nnd  the  Niger, 


114  THE  STOliY  OF  SOUTJI  AFRICA 

'rii(>.  debates  next  veered  from  the  bottom  issue  to  the  determina- 
lioii  of  ilir  limits  of  the  sphere  of  free  trade.  Finally,  a  trans-con- 
tiii('iit;il  lino  \\as  drawn,  as  if  to  circumscribe  an  inchoate  empire. 
II,  \v:is  determined  in  such  manner  as  to  include  the  larger  part  of 
Centnil  Africa,  with  a  sufficient  extent  of  coast,  east  and  west,  to 
ensure  free  gateways  for  all  the  ships  of  the  world.  On  the  Atlantic 
side,  the  coast  was  made  commercially  free  from  two  degrees  and 
thirty  minutes,  south  latitude,  that  is  from  about  the  middle  of 
French  Congo,  to  a  point  inclusive  of  the  upper  section  of  Angola. 
From  about  the  center  of  French  Congo  the  line  was  drawn  to  the 
north,  far  up  through  the  Cameroons,  and  thence  eastward  wdth 
the  watershed  between  the  tributaries  of  the  Benue  (South  Niger) 
and  those  of  the  Congo.  Afterwards  the  line  left  the  streams 
flowing  into  Lake  Chad  on  the  north  until  the  fountains  of  the 
Nile  were  reached  at  the  fifth  parallel  of  north  latitude.  The  line 
then  proceeded  due  east  to  the  further  coast  of  Somoliland.  On 
the  south  the  boundary  was  begun  at  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi, 
and  was  traced  onward  to  the  w^est  of  Lake  Nyassa ;  thence  w^est- 
ward  in  a  somewdiat  zigzag  course  to  the  boundary  of  Angola;  and 
thence  in  a  circular  direction  to   its  exit  at  Ambriz,  on  the  coast. 

Thus  was  secured  by  the  edict  of  the  nations  a  region,  not 
dissimilar  in  shape  to  the  United  States  of  America,  and  of  com- 
paratively as  great  a  geographical  area,  dedicated  forever  to  free- 
dom of  commerce  among  all  nations.  A  provision  was  enacted 
that  the  assent  of  the  sovereign  states  lying  within  the  delimita- 
tion should  be  given.  Trade,  whether  interior  traflBc  or  coast  line 
commerce,  should  henceforth  be  subject  only  to  such  charges  as 
were  necessary  to  support  it,  and  to  such  restrictions  as  were 
expedient  for  its  protection. 


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CONGRESS  OF  BERLIN  AND  THE  CONGO  STATE        117 

The  assembled  representatives  next  went  forward  to  consider 
the  opening  and  neutralization  of  the  Niger.  This  river  was  also 
declared  to  be  free  to  international  trade.  The  conditions  were 
almost  as  favorable  as  those  which  were  declared  for  the  Congo 
Valley.  In  order  to  carry  out  the  edicts  of  the  Congress,  an  Inter- 
national Commission  to  superintend  the  development  of  the  Congo 
Basin  was  appointed;  but  in  the  case  of  the  valley  of  the  Niger, 
the  settlement  of  everything  was  left  to  the  conjoint  action  of 
France  and  Great  Britain  only. 

The  next  great  question  under  consideration  was  the  enactment 
of  a  rule  to  be  followed  in  the  future  occupation  of  territory  not 
already  preempted  on  the  African  coast.  After  discussion  it  was 
decided  that  the  same  principle  which,  in  time  of  war,  governs  the 
action  of  nations  in  establishing  blockades,  should  hold  in  the 
peaceable  occupation  of  coast  territories ;  that  is,  such  occupation 
in  order  to  be  binding  must  be  effective.  There  must  be  an  actual 
display  of  ships  and  men  and  colonists ;  veritable  settlements ;  real 
debarkation  and  building  and  trade,  before  preemption  should  be 
acknowledged  by  other  nations  as  rightful  and  binding.  There 
must  be  on  the  part  of  the  parent  state  a  manifest  purpose  to 
hold  and  defend  the  given  territory  before  the  occupation  should  be 
acknowledged. 

Very  important  also  was  the  question  of  constituting  a  great 
civil  and  commercial  dominion  in  the  Congo  Valley.  This  was,  in 
the  next  place,  undertaken  by  the  Congress,  and  was  successfully 
accomplished.  The  Congo  Free  State  began  to  be.  A  geographi- 
cal foundation  was  assumed  as  the  result  of  the  w^ork  of  Henry  M. 
Stanley.  In  the  years  1874-77,  that  explorer  had  traced,  not  only  the 
southern  tributanes  of  the  Congo,  but  also  the  western  sources  of 
7 


118  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

thu  Victoria  Nyanza.  After  that  he  descended  the  Lualaba  until 
the  great  stream  became  the  Congo  itself — just  as  an  early  explorer 
in  our  own  (Jreat  West  might  have  identified  the  Missouri  with 
the  Mississippi.  Moved  by  this  astonishing  result,  Leopold,  King 
of  the  Belgians,  had  taken  Stanley  under  his  patronage  with  orders 
to  complete  his  explorations  between  the  Lualaba  and  the  Lower 
Congo,  and  thus,  as  it  were,  to  preempt  a  territory  which,  as  the 
event  showed,  approximated  one  million  square  miles. 

Beginning  from  this  result,  the  Berlin  Congress  proceeded  to 
define  the  limits  and  to  establish  a  system  of  government  for  the 
Congo  P'ree  State.  The  protectorate  of  the  King  of  the  Belgians 
was  declared.  Otherwise  the  new  empire  was  to  be,  as  its  name 
implies,  free  from  foreign  domination.  Already,  before  the  conven- 
tion was  held,  the  movement  for  autonomy  in  Congo  had  proceeded 
so  far  as  to  obtain  recognition  from  the  United  States.  The 
International  Congo  Association  had  adopted  as  the  symbol  of  its 
tlominion  a  blue  flag  with  a  golden  star,  and  this  was  saluted  by 
the  republic  as  early  as  the  22d  of  April,  1884.  The  same  banner 
was  also  welcomed  by  Germany  one  week  before  the  assembling  of 
the  Congress  of  Berlin.  In  the  Congo  emblem,  however,  there  was 
a  suggestion  of  controversy;  for  who  should  claim  the  protectorate? 
France  desired  that  her  Congo  should  include  the  new  sovereignty. 
But  the  claim  of  Leopold  had  a  more  solid  basis. 

Colonel  Strauch,  President  of  the  Congo  Association,  under 
whose  auspices  the  country  was  proceeding  so  rapidly  toward 
statehood,  at  length  notified  the  government  of  France  that  her 
claim  of  dominion  was  inadmissible;  the  rightful  possessor  was 
Leopold  of  Belgium,  and  the  latter,  should  he  be  disturbed,  would 
bequeath  his  rights   to  the   kingdom   of  which  he  was  the  ruler. 


CONGRESS  OF  BERLIN  AND  THE  CONGO  STATE        119 

Sharp  words  followed,  and  the  controversy  threatened  serious  results 
until  a  settlement  was  reached  between  France  and  Belgium,  in 
February  of  1895,  by  which  it  was  agreed  that  the  latter  should 
become  the  heir,  so  to  speak,  of  Leopold  to  the  Congo  Free  State. 
The  compact  was  as  follows: 

Article  1. — The  Belgian  Government  recognizes  that  France 
has  a  right  of  preemption  over  its  possessions  on  the  Congo  in 
case  of  their  alienation  by  sale  or  exchange  in  whole  or  in  part. 
Any  exchange  of  territory  with  a  foreign  power,  any  placing  of 
the  said  territories,  in  whole  or  in  part,  in  the  hands  of  a  foreign 
state  or  of  a  foreign  company  invested  with  rights  of  sovereignty, 
will  also  give  occasion  to  France's  right  of  preemption,  and 
will  become,  therefore,  the  object  of  a  preliminary  negotiation 
between  the  Government  of  the  French  Republic  and  the  Belgian 
Government. 

Article  2. — The  Belgian  Government  declares  that  there  shall 
never  be  gratuitous  cession  of  all  or  a  portion  of  the  said 
possessions. 

Article  3. — The  arrangements  contemplated  in  tlie  above 
articles   apply   to  the   whole   of   the  territories  of   Belgian  Congo. 

By  this  agreement  it  might  be  said  that  a  line  of  succession 
was  established  whereby  the  future  protectorate  of  the  Congo  Free 
State  should  descend — as  long  as  a  protectorate  might  exist — first, 
from   Leopold  to  his   kingdom,  and   after  that,  (if  ever)  to   France. 

As  first  constituted,  the  great  Congo  Free  State  was  wholly  a 
dominion  of  the  interior.  In  a  short  time,  however,  an  exit  was 
secured  by  the  consent  of  Foi*tugal  through  the  northwest  angle 
of  her  Angola ;  and  thus  on  the  south  side  of  the  Congo  Delta  a 
bit    of    sea   coast   was   added    to   the    Free   State,   sufficient   for  a 


120  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

lii^'liwiiy  to  the  Atlantic.  The  general  boundaries  determined  upon 
by  the  Congress  were  liberal.  The  line  on  the  west  extended  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Congo  from  the  northern  line  of  Angola  to  the 
equator.  Tlience  the  limit  lay  along  the  eastern  boundary  of 
French  Congo  to  the  northeast  angle  of  that  province,  and  thence 
due  north  to  the  parallel  of  four  degrees  north  latitude.  Thence 
that  parallel  was  followed  to  the  thirtieth  meridian  east;  thence 
with  the  meridian  just  named  to  the  northern  extremity  of  Lake 
Tanganyika;  thence  with  the  Lake  and  the  fourth  parallel 
westward  to  the  Lualaba;  thence  southward  with  that  stream 
to  the  sixth  parallel,  and  thence  westward  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Congo.* 

The  area  of  the  Congo  Free  State  is,  as  already  said,  approx- 
imately nine  hundred  thousand  square  miles,  and  the  native 
population  is  reckoned  at  about  fourteen  million  souls.  Thus  out 
of  the  whole  basin  of  the  Congo,  with  its  estimated  area  of  one 
million  six  hundred  thousand  square  miles  (ranking  as  it  does  next 
to  the  valley  of  the  Amazon,  which  exceeds  it  by  only  two  hundred 
thousand  square  miles)  the  Congo  Free  State  embraces  at  least 
nine  sixteenths  of  the  whole. 

We  need  not  here  follow  the  work  of  the  Berlin  Congress  into 
the  remoter  results  which  flowed  therefrom.  King  Leopold  found 
himself  in  the  condition  of  a  flourishing  American  farmer,  to  whom, 
say  in  1870,  the  government  of  the  United  States  should  have  sent 
a  deed  to  the  territory  of  Colorado!  The  King  had  the  largest  farm 
in  Christendom.  Out  of  it,  ten  American  States  of  first-class 
proportions  might  be  carved.    Nor  was  any  part  of  the  vast  region 

•The  final  determination  of  the  boundaries  of  ConKO  was  not  eflfected  until  the  12th  of  May,  1894,  wheu 
King  Leopold  and  the  representative  of  Great  Britain  reached  an  amicable  conclusion  on  the  last  particulars  of 
the  scheme. 


CONGRESS  OF  BERLIN  AND  THE  CONGO  STATE        121 

lacking  in  all  the  suggestions  of  abundant  wealth  and  exuberant 
industrial  development;  but  to  do  the  work,  ah,  there  was  the  rub. 

As  soon  as  the  Belgian  Parliament  was  convened,  two  months 
after  the  adjournment  of  the  Congress  at  Berlin,  the  work  of  that 
body  was  approved  as  it  related  to  the  kingdom  and  the  king.  The 
Parliament  passed  a  resolution  declaring,  "the  union  between 
Belgium  and  the  New  State  will  be  exclusively  personal."  The 
act  ratified  the  course  of  the  sovereign — no  more.  About  a  month 
afterwards  the  king  sent  notes  to  all  the  powers  signatory  to  the 
"General  Act  of  the  Conference,"  to  the  effect  that  the  territorial 
possessions  hitherto  controlled  by  the  International  Congo  Association 
had  become,  under  his  own  suzerainty,  the  Congo  Free  State.  Over 
that  state,  as  over  the  home  kingdom,  he  would  exercise  the  powers 
of  a  sovereign. 

In  the  years  immediately  following  the  Congress  the  King  of 
the  Belgians  was  obliged  to  make  great  expenditures  in  support  of 
his  dependent  realm.  He  manfully  met  the  requirements,  but  they 
were  such  as  to  deplete  the  royal  treasury.  At  length,  in  1889,  he 
made  his  will,  and  in  it  bequeathed  his  rights  and  interests  in  the 
Congo  Free  State  to  the  kingdom  of  Belgium,  which  he  named  his 
heir.  This  step  was  taken,  in  part,  because  of  the  heavy  expenditures 
he  had  made  in  the  interest  of  Congo. 

In  July  of  the  following  year,  the  king  appealed  to  the  Par- 
liament for  help.  That  body  received  his  petition  with  favor,  and 
voted  to  Leopold  a  loan  (without  interest)  of  twenty-five  million 
francs.  The  advance  was  made  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  with  the 
condition  that  Belgium  should  have  the  right,  within  six  months 
thereafter,  of  annexing  the  Free  State  to  the  home  Kingdom. 
Should  this  overture  be  declined,  the  loan  should  be  continued  for 


122  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

ten  years  longer,  and  nhould  then  be  repaid  by  the  representatives 
of  the  sovereign.  In  view  of  this  arrangement,  the  king  deemed 
it  expedient  to  obviate  as  far  as  practical  that  part  of  the  standing 
agreement  v^^ith  France  by  which  that  republic  might,  in  a  certain 
contingency,  assume  the  suzerainty  of  Congo.  To  bar  this  possibility, 
Leopold,  on  the  21st  of  July,  1890,  added  a  codicil  to  the  effect 
that  the  Free  State  should  never  be  alienated  from  the  Belgian 
crown. 

In  this  attitude  stood  the  affairs  of  Congo  from  1890  to  1895. 
Meanwhile,  certain  advantageous  changes  had  been  made  in  the 
boundaries  of  the  State.  Great  Britain  consented  to  two  modifica- 
tions ;  one  on  the  west  of  Lake  Tanganyika,  and  the  other  on  the 
side  of  the  Sudan — this  in  1894.  In  the  way  of  local  affairs,  one 
short  railway  was  completed.  In  the  years  1892-93,  serious  hostil- 
ities broke  out  between  the  military  forces  of  the  Free  State  and 
the  Arab  slave-merchants  on  the  middle  and  upper  Congo.  The 
latter  were  unwilling  that  their  business  should  be  abolished,  as 
the  Congress  of  Berlin  had  decreed.  The  Arabs  stood  stoutly  for 
what  they  considered  their  immemorial  rights.  At  first  they  were 
able  to  resist  the  repressive  efforts  of  the  Belgian  forces  acting 
under  the  inspiration  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Society.  Afterwards  the 
Arabs  were  repelled ;  during  the  year  1893,  they  were  driven  back 
to  Lake  Tanganyika,  and  their  principal  seats  were  taken  by  the 
Europeans. 

At  the  very  time  of  this  Arab  insurrection,  namely,  in  the 
latter  part  of  1892,  the  Chartered  Company,  to  which  the  manage- 
ment of  the  industrial  affairs  of  Congo  had  been  intrusted,  found 
itself  unable  to  procure  free  laborers  for  the  construction  of  the 
railway  referred  to  in  the  preceding  paragraph.     The   natives  were 


CONGRESS  OF  BERLIN  AND  THE  CONGO  STATE        12iJ 

indolent  and  inefficient  in  tlie  performance  of  the  heavy  and 
constant  labor  which  was  demanded  of  them.  What,  therefore, 
should  the  Chartered  Company  do,  but  import  a  colony  of  more 
than  six  hundred  coolies  from  China  ?  This  proceeding  was  the 
introduction  of  a  modified  slavery  which  differed  from  that  of  the 
Arabs  in  the  fact  that  it  was  a  Christian  enterprise,  while  theirs 
was  strictly  a  Mohammedan  business.  The  event,  however,  showed 
the  futility  of  the  coolie  importation.  The  Chinese  could  not 
endure  the  intolerable  steam-bath  and  fever-fume  of  Equatorial 
Africa.  In  a  short  time,  five  out  of  every  six  of  the  coolies  died; 
the  remainder  straggled  off  into  the  interior  in  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing China  on  foot! 

In  a  comparatively  short  time  after  the  Berlin  Conference  the 
Congo  Free  State,  which  had  been  undertaken  as  a  broad  interna- 
tional enterprise,  became  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  Belgian 
colonial  dependency.  Gradually  the  agents  of  the  other  powers 
withdrew  from  the  country  and  Belgian  officers  were  put  in  their 
places.  Neither  could  the  broad  provisions  which  had  been  declared 
as  to  the  freedom  of  commerce  and  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade 
be  successfully  enforced.  The  resources  of  King  Leopold  ran  low 
and  the  administrative  expenses  of  Congo  had  to  be  met  by  the 
institution  of  a  system  of  imposts.  Fortunately,  the  government 
adopted  the  expedient  of  laying  the  duty  almost  exclusively  on 
spirituous  liquors.  Great  Britain  protested  that  this  was  not  free 
trade;  Belgium  was  obliged  to  reply  that,  though  it  was  not  free 
trade,  it  was  necessai-y. 

As  to  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade  and  the  illicit  traflic 
in  ivory,  these  matters  were  peculiarly  hard  to  control.  It  was 
thought   that   after   tiie   Conference   of    1SS4    the    multiplication  of 


124  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Kuropoaii  dependencies  on  the  African  coasts  would  virtually 
preclude  the  Arab  slave-traders  from  an  exit.  It  vs^as  supposed  that 
the  man-hunters  would  cease  their  operations  as  soon  as  they  could 
no  longer  safely  export  their  chattels.  The  arrangement  of  the 
wap  by  the  supervising  cartographers  in  the  Congress  of  Berlin 
proved  to  be  a  very  different  matter  from  the  actual  revision  of 
the  continent.  Nothing,  indeed,  spurns  geography  more  than  Mother 
Earth.  When  a  new  map  is  made  it  is  difficult  to  lay  it  on!  The 
map  is  eight  inches  by  twelve  inches,  while  the  continent  is  more 
than  four  thousand  miles  in  length  and  quite  as  great  in  breadth! 
How  shall  the  one  be  stretched  to  cover  the  other?* 

As  to  the  work  of  administration  in  Congo,  that  was  regularly 
organized.  The  vice  in  the  situation  was,  and  is,  that  the  "  govern- 
ment "  remained  in  Brussels  instead  of  being  erected  on  the  middle 
Congo.  How  can  one  place  govern  another  place  ?  That  work  has 
never  been  successfully  accomplished  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
Successful  governments  have  been  inaugurated  in  distant  dependent 
territories,  but  never  for  them  outside  of  them.  In  the  course  of 
tiuie,  the  Congo  administration  will  no  doubt  be  localized  where  it 
belongs,  and  when  that  is  done,  the  actual  political  existence  of 
the  new  state  will  begin. 

For  administrative  purposes  the  whole  of  Congo  was  divided 
into  twelve   districts   or   provinces,   each    under    the    control   of  a 


•Some  of  the  striking  facts  about  the  position  and  extent  of  Africa  seem  never  to  have  been  pointed  out. 
The  geographical  emplacement  and  contour  are  sufficient  to  make  a  cartographer  superstitious.  In  the  first 
place,  the  continent  is  Just  seventy  degrees  in  extent  from  north  to  south,  and  it  is  just  seventy  degrees  in 
extent  from  east  to  west.  The  breadth  of  it  and  the  length  of  it  are  the  same.  Again,  the  continent  exactly 
balances  north  and  south  on  the  equatorial  line;  it  has  thirty-five  degrees  of  north  latitude  and  thirty-five 
degrees  of  south  latitude.  Finally  the  balancing  meridian,  dividing  the  continent  into  an  eastern  and  western 
half,  is  likewise  peculiar.  If  such  meridian  be  drawn  from  the  heel  of  Italy  through  the  Mediterranean  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  it  will  leave  thirty-five  degrees  of  longitude  on  the  west,  and  also  thirty-five  degrees  on 
the  oast.  The  Congo  Free  State  lies  almost  wholly  ou  the  eastern  and  about  one-half  in  the  southern  division 
of  the  continent  as  here  indicated.  The  point  of  intersection  of  the  two  dividing  lines  is  on  the  Congo  at  the 
point  where  the  great  tributaries  of  the  Interior  have  their  confluence,  precisely  under  the  equator. 


NATIVE  ORNAMENTS  AND  UTENSILS. 


CONGRESS  OF  BERLIN  AND  THE  CONGO  STATE        127 

Governor-General  and  a  Commissary,  who  is  the  Lieutenant-Governor. 
The  whole  corps  of  officials,  with  the  king  and  three  ministers  at 
the  head,  numbers  about  eighty.  A  department  of  justice  was 
instituted  with  superior  and  inferior  courts.  The  judicial  adminis- 
tration was  extended  as  far  as  the  Middle  Congo,  but  the  upper 
valley  was  allowed  to  remain  under  military  rule. 

In  the  meantime,  commercial  enterprise  made  its  way  far  up 
the  river,  and  stations  to  the  number  of  about  forty  were  established. 
The  missionary  societies  of  several  nations  have  also  been  on  the 
alert  to  penetrate,  if  not  to  occupy,  the  vast  equatorial  region. 
Individual  adventurers  and  travelers  of  the  second-class  have  con- 
tinued to  follow  up  and  complete  the  work  which  they  of  the 
first-class  outlined  so  marvelously  in  the  eighth  and  ninth  decades. 
All  such  work,  however,  is  slow.  Progress  is  embarrassed  by  the 
fact  that  it  has  passed  from  the  sensational  into  the  practical 
stage;— from  oratory  to  fact.  The  Arab  slave-traders  have  been 
checked  somewhat,  but  not  suppressed.  It  is  claimed  that  can- 
nibalism is  still  practiced  in  many  parts  of  the  interior.  Nor  should 
we  pass  from  the  subject  without  remarking  that  the  whole  discus- 
sion of  European  accomplishment,  as  outlined  in  this  and  in  the 
preceding  chapter  is  well  calculated  to  leave  an  erroneous  impres- 
sion on  the  reader's  mind  with  respect  to  fhe  actual  changes  effected 
thereby  in  Africa. 

The  actual  changes  have  not  been  great.  This  fact  will  be  at 
once  perceived  when  the  inquirer  is  reminded  that  the  extension  of 
a  European  protectorate  over  a  region  of  new  country  is  a  political 
expedient,  and  that  geographical,  industrial,  social  and  racial 
conditions  are  but  slightly  effected  thereby.  The  real  history  of 
Africa,  therefore,  in  the  period  under  consideration,  lies  deep  down, 


128  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

liko  ii  great  geological  stratum,  under  the  thin  layer  of  diplomatical 
drift  that  covers  it  from  sight.  The  stratum  is  thick  and  hard  as 
the  rocks;  the  drift  is  only  an  epidermis. 

In  all  the  international  proceedings,  which  began  in  the  Brussels 
Conference  of  1876  and  reached  a  climax  in  the  Berlin  Congress  of 
1884,  how  much  was  done  for  the  benefit  of  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty  millions  of  native  Africans?  What  did  the  representatives 
of  the  great  powers  of  Christendom,  in  convention  assembled, 
decree  that  has  been  unselfishly  applied  to  the  enlightenment  of 
the  prodigious  volume  of  barbarism  in  the  Dark  Continent?  As 
much,  we  doubt  not,  as  civilization  in  the  West  has  done  in  an 
altruistic  way  to  promote  the  interests  and  protect  the  rights  of  the 
American  Aborigines — that  is,  nothing! 


CHAPTER  VTII 

MINOR    CLAIMANTS    AND    REMOTER   INFLUENCES 

In  an  inquiry  which  is  essentially  preliminary  to  the  history  of 
the  Boer-British  war  of  1899,  many  facts  belonging  to  the  African 
transformation  bear  only  indirectly  on  the  conflict  in  the 
South.  Several  countries  of  the  continent,  remote  from  the  scene, 
are  not  so  much  concerned  as  are  those  which  are  contiguous  to 
the  field  of  action.  But  the  whole  of  the  African  states  are,  in  a 
sense,  connected  and  interdependent;  none,  therefore,  can  be  properly 
excluded  from  the  inquiry. 

If,  for  example,  Egypt  be  far  away  from  the  central  area  of 
disturbance,  that  country  is  none  the  less  the  most  important  "  pro- 
tected "  African  territory  of  one  of  the  combatants.  Or,  again,  how 
can  the  German,  French,  and  Portuguese  dependencies  be  indifferent 
to  the  result  of  a  conflict,  which,  if  it  end  one  way,  will  threaten 
their  own  security,  and  if  it  end  the  other  way  will  give  them 
further  opportunity  of  expansion?  In  the  current  chapter  we  shall 
consider  briefly  some  of  the  remoter  influences  which  bear  upon 
the  contest  in  South  Africa  —  a  contest  which  may  have  only  the 
significance  of  a  passing  revolt,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  become  the 
world-involving  tempest  of  Armageddon. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  as  to  Egypt.  That  country  became  a  vir- 
tual dependency  of  Great  Britain  in  1882.  The  Suez  Canal  had  been 
opened,  thus  furnishing  an  all-water  route,  via  the  Mediterranean, 
to  British  India  and  all  the  East.  Henceforth,  it  was  no  longer 
necessary  to  double  the  Cape.     The   intervention  of  (Jreat  Britain 

(129) 


130  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

camo  in  tlio  year  just  named,  when  the  military  revolt  headed 
by  Arabi  Pasha  threatened  to  subvert  the  suzerainty  of 
Turkey,  and  if  that,  to  invite,  as  British  statesmen  declared, 
an  occupation  of  Egypt  by  some  other  power  inimical  to  the 
interests  of  Great  Britain  in  Asia.  Hence  the  occupation  of 
the  country   and   the  institution  of  a  new   order  in   the  valley  of 

the  Nile. 

Great  Britain  having  put  money  into  the  country,  her  next 
requirement  was  to  get  money  out  of  it.  This  brought  a  wholesale 
agricultural  development;  for  otherwise,  Egypt  could  not  pay  the 
taxes  imposed  upon  her.  The  ground  products  in  the  course  of 
nine  years  rose  to  an  annual  export  value  of  sixty-five  million 
dollars.  On  the  southern  frontier,  the  Mahdist  insurrection  kept 
rumbling  and  shooting  out  forked  tongues  of  fire.  The  African 
Mohammedans,  who  might  press  upon  the  Sudan  northward  and 
upon  the  Red  Sea  eastward,  were  estimated  at  forty  million  souls. 
In  1883,  England  deemed  it  expedient  to  seize  Suakim.  An 
Egyptian  railway  to  Berber,  following  the  pathway  of  Chinese 
Gordon,  was  undertaken  in  the  following  year.  Other  lines  were 
developed,  amounting  to  one  thousand  two  hundred  miles  of  track. 
The  telegraph  was  introduced,  and  five  thousand  four  hundred 
and  thirty  miles  of  wire  was  stretched  from  point  to  point,  mostly 
in  Lower  Egypt.  The  British  army  of  occupation,  numbering 
about  fifteen  thousand  men,  was  placed  under  command  of 
General  Sir  Herbert  Kitchener,  to  whom  the  Egyptian  title  of 
Sirdar  was  given. 

After  the  death  of  Gordon  at  Khartoum,  and  the  subsequent 
overthrow  of  the  Mahdists,  the  latter  lay  low  in  the  deserts  for 
several  years.     But   in   1896,   Egypt  was  again  threatened  by   the 


MINOR  CLAIMANTS  AND  REMOTER  INFLUENCES      131 

Dervishes.     In  the  interval,  Great   Britain   had   adopted   the  policy 
of  creating  an  army  of  native  Egyptians. 

"Said  England  unto  Pharoah,  *  I  must  make  a  man  of  you, 

That  will  stand  upon  his  feet  and  play  the  game ; 
That  will  Maxim  his  oppressor,  as  a  Christian  ought  to  do." 

And  she  sent  old  Pharoah,  Sergeant  Whatisname. 
It  was  not  a  Duke  nor  Earl,  nor  yet  a  Viscount, 

It  was  not  a  big  brass  General  that  came, 
But  a  man  in  khaki  kit  who  could  handle  men  a  bit, 

With  his  bedding  labeled  Sergeant  Whatisname. 

There  were  years  that  no  one  talked  of :  there  were  times  of  horrid  doubt ; 

There  was  faith  and  hope  and  whacking  and  despair ; 
While  the  Sergeant  gave  the  Cautions,  and  he  combed  old  Pharoah  out, 

And  England  did  n't  look  to  know  nor  care. 

******* 

But  he  did  it  on  the  cheap  and  on  the  quiet. 

And  he's  not  allowed  to  forward  any  claim — 
Though  he  drilled  a  black  man  white,  though  he  made  a  mummy  fight. 
He  will  still  continue  Sergeant  Whatisname." 

The  success  of  this  vv^ork,  so  graphically  described  by  Kipling, 
was  extraordinary.  In  a  short  time  "Old  Pharoah  fought  like 
Sergeant  Whatisname."  The  native  British  contingent  in  the  Sirdar's 
army  was  diminished,  while  the  Egyptian  contingent  was  correspond- 
ingly increased.  In  the  spring  of  1896,  Kitchener  advanced  up  the 
Nile.  At  Firkeh,  the  Dervishes  were  defeated.  In  September,  Don- 
gola  was  finally  reached  and  occupied.  This  feat  concluded  the 
work  of  the  expedition,  but  it  was  in  reality  only  the  opening 
suggestion  of  the  re-occupation  of  Khartoum  and  Omdurman.  When 
this  was  done  a  position  far  to  the  south  was  gained  from  which 
the  Anglo-Egyptian  hand  might  be  stretched — as  indeed  it  has 
already  been  stretched — to  the  south  as  if  to  clutch  the  hand,  let 


132  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

us  say,  the  hand  of  Cecil  Rliodes  reaching  from  Cape  Colony  and 
Rhodesia  with  his  Cape  and  Cairo  Railway  lying  in  the  palm.  It 
is  from  this  point  of  view  that  the  Egyptian  question  in  the 
northeast  touches  the  South  African  question  on  the  battleground 
in  the  upper  valleys  of  the  Orange  River. 

In  the  next  place,  as  to  the  Sudan.  This  is  the  name  given 
by  the  Arabs  to  the  great  region  south  of  the  Sahara.  More  exactly 
it  is  B'ddad-es-Sudan;  that  is  Land  of  the  Blacks.  Such  nomen- 
clature, however,  is  by  no  means  exact,  for  the  Sudanese  popula- 
tion include  at  least  three  general  ethnic  divisions  of  mankind. 
First,  we  may  enumerate  the  Semitic  Arabs  themselves.  Secondly, 
the  Hamites;  some  of  whom  are  still  comparatively  pure  in  descent 
from  the  ancients,  but  most  of  whom  are  mixed  with  native  races, 
thus  becoming  the  Tibus,  the  Tuaregs,  and  the  Fulahs;  and  thirdly, 
the  Negroes  of  the  Bantu  stock,  pure  and  mixed.  The  latter  are 
the  true  aborigines,  and,  numerically,  are  still  vastly  in  excess  of 
the  other  ethnic  divisions. 

Territorially  the  country  under  consideration  may  be  spoken 
of,  first  as  the  Egyptian  Sudan,  reaching  from  Upper  Egypt  four 
hundred  miles  southward  to  Lake  Albert  Nyanza,  a  territory 
estimated  to  contain  about  one  million  square  miles,  with  a  pop- 
ulation supposed  to  number  fully  ten  million  souls.  The  second 
division  may  be  properly  designated  as  French  Sudan,  having  its 
seat  in  the  basin  of  the  Niger  and  extending  northward  to  the 
borders  of  Algeria.  The  third  region  is  known  as  West  or  Central 
Sudan.  This  is  a  British  overlap,  embracing  an  aggregate  of  five 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  thousand  square  miles.  This  includes 
Gambia,  Sierra  Leone,  the  Gold  Coast  with  Ashanti,  Lagos  with 
Yorubaland,  and  Niger-Benue   wdth  the  Oil  River  country.    In  the 


MINOR  CLAIMANTS  AND  REMOTER  INFLUENCES      133 

fourth  place  Germany  has  gained  possession  of  a  small  fragment 
of  the  Sudan  lying  on  the  Slave  coast  between  Ashanti  and 
Dahomey,  and  to  this  is  given  the  name  of  West  Tongaland. 
Portugal  also  has  an  insignificant  Sudanese  possession.  It  was 
in  the  East  Sudan  that  Dr.  Schweinfurth,  in  1870-72,  conducted  his 
successful  explorations,  completing  a  geographical  knowledge  of  the 
Nile  and  the  Congo  systems  of  rivers.  Ten  years  afterwards,  two  emi- 
nent explorers,  Dr.  M.  Y.  Dybowski  and  M.  Maistre,  were  sent  by 
France  into  the  Lake  Chad  Basin.  By  them  some  of  the  remaining 
problems  of  African  geography  were  solved.  Up  to  the  close  of  the 
century,  the  Sudan  as  a  whole  was  a  kind  of  subjective  region,  invit- 
ing penetration  and  conquest,  but  exerting  no  active  historical 
influence  on  the  progress  of  the  age. 

In  the  third  place,  as  to  Natal.  This,  as  we  have  formerly 
explained,  was  at  first  a  part  of  the  Cape  territories.  At  least,  it 
was  claimed  to  be  such  by  the  British.  As  early  as  1824,  Lieutenant 
Farewell  made  his  way  with  twenty  companions  from  Ciipe  Town 
into  the  country  of  the  lower  Tugela  and  undertook  to  plant  a 
colony  there.  To  this  end  he  made  a  treaty  with  Chaka  the  native 
king.  But  Chaka  was  presently  killed,  and  the  enterprise  of  British 
settlement  was  postponed. 

We  have  seen  also  how  the  Boers  first  trekked  into  this  region, 
and  then,  in  1833-34,  made  the  so-called  "Great  Trek,"  and  with- 
drew into  what  was  to  become  the  Orange  Free  State.  British 
influence  and,  in  a  measure,  British  settlement  followed  in  the 
wake  of  the  Great  Trek,  and  Natal  was  colonized.  It  is  the 
peculiarity  of  all  such  situations  that  the  British  element  in  a 
given  population  speedily  becomes  the  governing  element.  The 
political  skill  of  the  English  race  and  the  inborn  purpose  to  master 


184  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

all  things  combine  to  give  the  lead  to  the  British  part  of  a  popu- 
lation, even  when  that  part  is  sparsely  distributed. 

Tt  must  be  o'oserved  that  the  commercial  instinct  leads  to  this 
feature  of  history.  Political  organization  is  the  v^agon  in  vv^hich 
commerce  goes  to  market.  Therefore,  the  Briton  organizes  effect- 
ively, strongly.  He  wishes  to  make  a  way  for  trade.  Trade 
requires  protection,  and  protection  signifies  a  military  force  for 
defense.  The  military  force  demands  political  authority  behind  it. 
Therefore,  says  the  theorem,  organize  and  govern,  if  you  would  have 
a  market. 

Thus  it  was  in  Natal.  By  the  summer  of  1845,  the  business 
had  proceeded  sufficiently  far  to  warrant  the  annexation  of  the 
territory  to  Cape  Colony.  Then,  in  the  same  year,  a  local  govern- 
ment was  organized,  and  a  Lieutenant-Governor  was  sent  out  from 
Cape  Town.  He  was  given  a  Council  of  four  members,  and  a 
legislative  Assembly  to  assist  in  law-making  and  administration. 

This  form  of  dependency  on  the  parent  colony  was  retained 
in  Natal  for  eleven  years.  But  in  1856,  the  province  became 
independent  of  the  Cape  government;  the  legislative  body  was 
enlarged  to  sixteen  members,  and  relations  were  established  directly 
with  the  Colonial  office  in  London.  After  this  the  governmental 
evolution  proceeded  in  the  usual  way.  The  beginnings  of  a  ministry 
were  made  in  1869.  The  governor  claimed  and  exercised  the 
right  to  nominate  a  certain  number  of  the  representatives.  This 
implied  their  responsibility  to  him.  The  head  of  the  colony,  how- 
ever, continued  to  be  designated  as  Lieutenant-Governor  until  the 
year  1882.  After  that  a  Governor-General  was  appointed  by  the 
Colonial  office  of  the  empire. 

At  first  the  territorial  limits  of  Natal  were  not  clearly  defined. 


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MINOR  CLAIMANTS  AND  REMOTER  INFLUENCES      L37 

On  the  east  the  country  was  bounded  by  the  ocean ;  on  the  south 
by  Fondoland;  on  the  west,  by  East  Griqualand  and  Basutoland, 
the  Drackensburg  Range,  and  the  Orange  Free  State;  on  the  noilh, 
by  the  Buffalo  River  and  the  Transvaal. 

The  area  thus  included  in  Natal  is  20,460  square  miles.  The 
coast  line  is  200  miles  in  extent.  Centrally  situated  on  the  coast 
are  the  port  (Port  Natal)  and  town  of  Durban.  To  anticii^ate  the 
narrative  which  is  to  follow,  we  should  here  point  out  also  the 
position  of  Pietermaritzburg,  Colenso,  Ladysmith,  Glencoe,  Dundee 
and,  indeed,  all  of  the  other  important  places  which  became  known 
to  the  world  as  Natalese  towns  in  the  first  acts  of  the  Boer-British 
war.  The  first  contention  in  that  struggle  in  a  military  and  strate- 
gical sense  was  for  the  possession  of  Natal.  That  province,  being  a 
British  protectorate,  constituted  the  most  practicable  approach  for 
the  British  forces  into  the  territories  of  the  Two  Republics. 

Already,  before  the  discovery  of  the  great  gold  deposits  at 
Johannesburg  and  the  diamond  fields  at  Kimberley,  the  Natal 
colony  began  to  flourish.  A  considerable  commerce  found  its  exit 
through  the  port  of  Durban.  Nearly  four  centuries  had  now 
elapsed  since  Vasco  da  Gama,  on  Christmas  Day,  in  1497,  had 
entered  that  harbor  and  named  the  country  Terra  Nafalis,  Land  of 
the  Nativity.  How  slowly  germinate  the  seeds  of  the  successive 
orders  and  epochs  in  the  civilized  life  of  man! 

It  was  in  the  period  referred  to  that  internal  improvements 
began  to  be  promoted.  Within  the  limits  of  the  colony  about  four 
hundred  miles  of  railway  were  constructed.  The  principal  line 
extends  from  Durban  into  the  Transvaal,  the  southern  boundary  of 
which  is  distant  from  the  port  three  hundred  and  six  miles.  By 
the  beginning  of  the  tenth  decennium,  the  population  had  increased 


i:j8  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

ho  fivo  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  souls.  Since  that  period, 
Natal  has  beconae  still  more  closely  identified  with  the  parent 
colony  at  the  Cape.  The  British  ascendency  was  strengthened  from 
year  to  year,  so  that  by  the  outbreak  of  the  Transvaal  war,  there 
was  as  much  opposition  to  the  British  purpose  in  Cape  Colony 
itself  as  in  the  province  of  Natal.  As  the  war  developed,  however, 
Great  Britain  put  forth  strenuous  efforts  to  maintain  the  loyalty 
of  her  South  African  colonies. 

Three  territories  lying  contiguous  to  Natal  may  be  mentioned 
in  connection  therewith.  Both  are  within  the  storm  center  of  the 
war  of  1899.  Griqualand  East  and  Basutoland  lie  at  the  eastern  and 
northeastern  extremity  of  Cape  Colony.  The  former,  according  to 
current  geography,  is  the  northern  part  of  Kaffraria,  bounded  by 
the  Umzimkube,  which  discharges  at  Port  Shepstone.  Griqualand 
East  has  for  its  principal  stream  the  St.  John's  River,  and  for  its 
chief  towns,  Kokstad,  Mount  Frere,  and  Omtatta.  The  coast  reaches 
down  to  where  the  British  grip  on  the  continent  begins  to  be 
better  defined,  at  the  Great  Kei  River.  Griqualand  East,  lying  in  the 
situation  indicated,  and  Griqualand  West,  which  has  now  been 
absorbed  in  the  Bechuanaland  Protectorate,  formerly  extended 
from  the  coast  on  the  southeast  to  the  upper  branch  of  the 
Orange  River  on  the  northwest  where  Griquatown  is  situated,  and 
where  the  Kimberley  diamond  fields  lie  spread  with  their  sparkling 
treasures. 

Basutoland  is  held  on  the  north  by  the  Orange  Free  State,  and 
on  the  east  by  Natal.  This  region,  more  than  Natal,  is  peopled 
by  the  natives  who  are  a  branch  of  those  warlike  KaflBrs  with 
whom  both  the  British  and  the  Dutch  have  had  to  contend  time 
and  again  for  the  mastery.    The  country  is  a  rugged,  almost  moun- 


MINOR  CLAIMANTS  AND  REMOTER  INFLUENCES       139 

taiuous,  highland.  It  is  a  grazing  region,  well  adapted  to  the 
production  of  cattle,  of  which  the  Basutos  have  great  herds. 

The  British  ascendency  began  here  with  the  annexation  of  the 
countr}^  to  Cape  Colony,  in  August  of  1871.  At  first  there  was  no 
separate  government,  but  only  a  provincial  dependency  deriving 
its  authority  from  that  of  the  Cape.  In  1884,  however,  a  resident 
commissioner  was  sent  out  from  the  Colonial  office  of  the  empire, 
and  Basutoland  was  governed  thereafter  as  a  separate  district.  In 
no  other  part  of  the  British  South  African  dependencies  is  the 
disproportion  between  the  native  and  the  foreign  population  greater 
than  in  Basutoland,  amounting  according  to  the  census  of  1891,  to 
three  hundred  and  seventy -two  Basutos  to  every  European! 

This  fact  complicated  the  military  problem  not  a  little  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Transvaal  war — this  for  the  reason  that  the  attitude 
of  the  Basutos,  as  to  their  loyalty  or  disloyalty  to  the  British 
authorities,  could  not  well  be  known.  Their  disposition  and  war- 
like character  were  such  as  to  make  them  a  dangerous  element  in 
the  conflict.  The  Basuto  territory,  as  at  present  constituted,  is 
estimated  at  ten  thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  square 
miles. 

Zululand  is  another  dependency  proximate  to  the  scene  of  the 
Transvaal  conflict.  This  district  is  what  remains  of  the  formerly 
extensive  country  of  the  warlike  Zulu-Kaffirs.  The  fierce  conflict 
of  the  British  with  these  people,  which  occurred  between  January 
and  August  of  1879,  will  be  readily  recalled.  Zululand  was  invaded 
by  a  British  army,  in  which  the  Prince  Imperial  of  France  was  a 
volunteer  subordinate  officer.  At  this  time  the  Zulus  were  ground 
between  the  Boer  millstone  on  the  north  and  the  British  nether- 
stone   on  the   south.      They    were  pressed    into    submission.     Tlie 


140  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

couiilry  \v;is  (lividud  iiinoiig  eleven  of  the  principal  chiefs.  A  civil 
war  came  afterward,  lasting,  with  successive  outbreaks,  until 
1884,  when  Zululand,  narrowed  to  its  present  proportions  of  four 
thousand  five  hundred  and  twelve  square  miles,  was  forced  into  a 
state  of  ([uietude. 

(iood  government  was  difficult  under  native  auspices,  and  in 
1887,  a  British  protectorate  was  established  in  Zululand.  In  1895, 
the  protectorate  was  extended  over  Tongaland  to  the  southern 
boundary  of  Portuguese  East  Africa,  Bordering  on  the  latter 
country,  and  between  it  and  the  South  African  Republic,  lies  the 
little  dependency  of  Swaziland,  extending  from  the  Lebombo  range 
to  the  Drackensberg. 

In  the  fifth  place,  as  to  Bechuanaland.  No  other  region  per- 
haps in  South  Africa  has,  in  recent  years,  attracted  a  larger  amount 
of  interested  attention  than  has  Bechuanaland.  This  also  has 
become  a  dependency  of  the  British  government  under  the  title  of 
"  Bechuanaland  Protectorate."  The  country  lies  between  the  Molopo 
and  the  Zambesi.  On  the  east  it  is  bordered  by  Matebeland  and 
the  South  African  Republic.  On  the  west,  it  extends  to  German 
Southwest  Africa.  The  dominion,  once  only  a  small  district,  now 
includes  three  hundred  and  eighty-six  thousand  square  miles. 

This  region  was,  from  of  old,  the  land  of  the  Bechuanas.  The 
latter  appear  to  be  a  subordinate  division  of  the  KaflBr  race.  They 
are  above  the  average  of  Africans  in  stature,  figure,  and  bearing. 
The  complexion  of  the  people  is  an  amber  brown,  tinged  with 
yellow  or  red.  They  are  warlike  and  predatory,  and  their  numbers 
are  so  great  that  no  adequate  census  has  ever  been  prepared. 

It  was  not  until  the  year  1890,  that  Bechuanaland  was  placed 
under   jurisdiction   of   a   British   governor.     This  scheme  continued 


MINOR  CLAIMANTS  AND  REMOTER  INFLUENCES      141 

in  force  for  five  years  when  the  country  was  annexed  to  Cape 
Colony.  A  new  arrangement  was  then  made  for  the  administration. 
Old  Bechuanaland,  around  which  the  wider  dominion  of  the  pro- 
tectorate was  extended  so  greatly,  had  possessed  an  area  of  scarcely 
sixty  thousand  square  miles.  The  dominion  of  the  Protectorate 
became  more  than  six  times  as  great.  But  even  this  vast  terri- 
torial expansion  did  not  by  any  means  equal  the  increased  impor- 
tance of  Bechuanaland  on  the  score  of  the  incalculable  wealth 
which  was  discovered  in  the  soil. 

Within  this  region  lie  the  diamond  fields  of  Kimberley.  The 
towns  of  Mafeking  and  Vryburg,  the  names  of  which  suggest  the 
important  mineral  wealth  which  they  contain,  are  Bechuana 
centers.  The  old  industries,  wiiich  already  supplied  a  great  export 
trade  of  corn  and  wool  and  hides,  have  been  supplanted  in  this 
famous  region  by  a  wealth  of  precious  metals  and  still  more 
precious  stones,  the  like  of  which  has  hardly  been  equalled  in  the 
history  of  mankind.  The  discovery  of  this  mineral  treasure  has 
added  incalculably  to  the  wealth  of  the  world  and  as  yet  the  ground 
has  hardly  been  touched.  Millions  of  dollars  of  European  capital 
have  been  invested  in  the  mining  properties  and  the  interruption 
of  these  activities  made  itself  seriously  felt  in  the  world's  financial 
centers. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE    EPOCH    OF    PARTITION 


Before  proceeding  with  an  outline  of  the  history  of  the  two 
Dutch  Republics  of  South  Africa,  it  is  desirable  to  take  a  survey 
of  the  whole  field  of  transformation  during  the  last  twenty-five 
years  of  the  century.  In  the  first  place,  we  may  refer  seriatim  to 
the  several  international  conferences  which  have  been  held,  by  the 
actions  of  which  the  present  map  of  Africa,  with  all  of  its  startling 
features,  has  been  produced. 

The  first  of  these  conferences,  of  which  we  have  hitherto  given 
no  account,  was  the  Conference  of  Brussels,  held  in  September  of 
1876.  The  primary  motives,  by  which  the  calling  of  this  body  and 
its  actions  were  inspired,  were  the  contemplated  explorations  of 
Africa  and  the  hoped-for  civilization  of  the  continent  by  European 
agencies.  This,  of  course,  involved  the  discussion  of  the  means  by 
which  the  interior  of  the  continent  should  be  reached  and  its 
treasures  be  made  accessible  to  the  world. 

Of  all  the  royal  and  princely  personages  who,  in  our  age,  have 
given  their  favor  to  the  enterprise  of  Europeanizing  Africa,  Leopold, 
King  of  the  Belgians,  has  been  easily  first.  This  monarch  is  a  man 
of  genius  and  ambition.  He  found  himself,  in  middle  life,  pent  in 
a  narrow  kingdom,  and  he  could  discover  no  field  for  adequate  expan- 
sion except  in  Africa  or  the  Oriental  islands.  His  resources  were 
not  great,  but  he  made  up  for  the  deficiency  by  such  activity  and 
skillful  arrangement  of  forces  as  to  make  him,  in  some  sense,  the 
first  royal  personage  of  the  age.     The  single  fact  that  he  was  aide 

(143) 


1 1  i  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

to  tako  Honry  iM.  Stanley  iroiri  the  other  patrons  whom  he  held  in  re 
or  in  posse  was  a  suflicient  proof  of  the  adroitness  and  enterprise 
which  Leopold  displayed  in  the  whole  African  business,  to  which 
he  has  given  the  better  part  of  his  life  and  fortune. 

In  the  year  1876,  the  King  of  the  Belgians  invited  to  his  capital 
a  number  of  international  publicists  to  consider  with  him  the  plans 
which  he  had  evolved.  He  thought  it  well  to  undertake  the  civiliza- 
tion of  a  continent.  He  would  bring  that  continent  into  the  general 
circle  of  commerce  and  enlightenment.  He  would  bring  to  bear  all 
the  agencies  of  Europe  for  the  extinguishment  of  the  slave-trade 
and  slavery  itself. 

The  conference  which  the  king  called  was  the  opening  act  in 
that  drama  of  transformation  which  has  extended  itself  to  the 
present  day.  Leopold  was  watching  with  profound  interest  the 
movements  of  Stanley.  At  this  time,  the  explorer  was  in  the  darkest 
maze  and  tangle  of  his  work.  He  was  marching  from  Lake 
Tanganyika  to  Nyangwe.  He  had  not  yet  found  the  Lualaba,  and 
much  less  had  he  demonstrated  the  identity  of  that  river  with  the 
Congo.  To  adopt  his  own  story,  he  had  not  yet,  in  banter  with  one 
of  his  leaders,  cast  up  the  penny  on  the  fall  of  which  he  was  to 
decide  whether  he  would  follow  the  Lualaba  or  take  another  branch 
which  would  have  led  him  into  chaos.  The  penny  indeed  said  that 
he  should  take  the  other  branch.  But  with  the  perversity  and  audacity 
of  inspiration,  he  renounced  the  decision  of  the  penny,  and  took  the 
Lualaba;  hence  the  Congo  and  the  sea! 

Of  this  great  matter  in  the  far  interior  of  Africa,  Leopold  had 
no  knowledge  when  the  Conference  of  1876  was  convened.  He  had 
only  a  vague  dream  that  he  should  ever  be  able  to  secure  the  services 
of  Stanley  in  the  interest  of  himself  and  Belgium.     Meanwhile  ho 


THE   EPOCH    OF   PARTITION  147 

dreamed  of  other  things.  At  one  time  he  formed  a  plan  for  the 
acquisition  of  a  part  of  Borneo,  or,  missing  that,  some  other  island 
in  the  tropical  Pacific. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  1876,  the  Conference  of  Brussels 
convened.  Representatives  were  present  from  Great  Britain,  Austria- 
Hungary,  France,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Russia.  They  were  not  sent 
thither  by  the  governments  of  the  countries  named,  but  rather  by 
the  geographical  societies  and  other  progressive  organizations  in  the 
various  countries.  Of  these  bodies  most  of  the  representatives 
were  presidents  or  secretaries.  The  king  of  the  Belgians  himself 
appeared  in  the  conference  in  his  private  capacity ;  he  acted  per- 
sonally and  not  as  the  crown. 

The  sessions  of  the  conference  were  brief;  only  three  days 
were  consumed  in  the  meetings.  The  principal,  and,  indeed,  the 
only  important  action  taken,  was  the  institution  of  the  International 
African  Society,  to  the  work  of  which  we  have  so  many  times 
referred.  This  important  body  was  organized,  and  its  seat  was 
fixed  in  Brussels.  The  plan  contemplated  the  appointment  of  sub- 
committees to  have  their  headquarters  in  the  principal  capitals  of 
Europe.  Such  committees  should  be  contributory  to  the  main 
society,  the  purpose  of  which  was  declared  to  be  the  promotion 
of  exploring  enterprises  and  civilizing  movements  in  Central  Africa. 

As  soon  as  this  important  meeting  had  adjourned,  the  question 
was  taken  up  in  London.  The  Royal  Geographical  Society  laid  its 
hand  on  the  helm,  but  it  was  not  the  Brussels  helm.  Indeed  it 
could  hardly  be  expected  that  the  British  would  long  follow  the 
lead  of  Leopold.  The  Royal  Geographical  Society,  therefore,  instead 
of  sending  a  commission  to  Brussels,  organized  an  independent 
African   Exploration   Fund.     This   was   in    March    of    1S77.     Divers 


148  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

African  explorations  were  planned,  the  principal  one  of  which  was 
entrusted  to  the  management  of  the  young  explorer,  Joseph  Thom- 
son, who  was  authorized  to  proceed  as  the  representative  of 
British  interests  only. 

In  other  countries,  however,  such  as  Germany,  Austria-Hungary, 
Spain,  Portugal,  France,  the  Netherlands,  Italy,  Switzerland,  Russia, 
and  the  United  States,  branches  of  the  International  African  Asso- 
ciation were  formed,  and  in  June  of  1877,  a  meeting  of  the  Central 
Committee  was  held  in  Brussels.  A  considerable  fund  had  already 
been  subscribed,  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  an  expedition  was 
dispatched  to  determine  the  character  of  the  country  between  Lake 
Tanganyika  and  the  Indian  Ocean.  This  expedition  struck  inland 
from  Zanzibar  in  the  year  following  its  appointment,  and  made  its 
way  to  the  east  shore  of  Tanganyika,  where  the  German  trading 
station  and  settlement  called  Karema  was  founded. 

The  movement  thus  begun,  however,  did  not  proceed  very  far 
until  history,  whicli  may,  in  Shakespeare's  phrase,  be  regarded  as 
the  one  "unquestionable  spirit"  of  the  world,  took  its  own  course 
and  left  all  man-plans  go  awry.  For  one  thing,  Henry  M.  Stanley, 
who  had  gone  over  to  the  service  of  the  King  of  the  Belgians, 
having  now  made  his  way  down  the  Congo,  arrived  at  Marseilles 
in  January  of  1878.  He  brought  with  him  the  greatest  single  con- 
tribution to  geographical  knowledge  ever  made  by  man.  Already 
he  had  sent  before  him  certain  letters  which  had  awaked  the 
interest  of  all  Christendom  in  the  conditions  and  prospects  of 
Central  Africa. 

It  is  not  our  purpose,  however,  in  this  connection  to  follow  the 
subordinate  lines  of  the  great  story.  We  are  to  speak  only  of  the 
successive  Congresses  that  were  the  evolved  and  evolving  agencies  of 


THE  EPOCH  OF  PARTITION  149 

the  forward  march.  The  second  of  these  was,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
great  Conference  of  Berlin,  held  in  the  5'ear  1884.  To  this  meeting 
and  its  work  we  have  already  devoted  a  chapter.  We  have  seen 
how,  under  its  auspices,  the  map  of  Africa  began  to  be  greatly 
modified.  Events  moved  forward,  for  about  five  years,  on  the  lines 
which  took  their  origin  from  the  Berlin  Congress.  At  length, 
however,  the  affairs  of  the  Dark  Continent  got  into  such  com- 
plexity as  to  demand  another  discussion,  at  least  on  the  part  of 
two  of  the  principal  nations. 

These  two  nations  were  Germany  and  Great  Britain.  The 
enlargement  of  the  "  sphere ''  of  the  former  power  in  East  Africa 
had  continued  until  the  dominion  of  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  was 
about  to  be  included  in  Germany!  But  the  British  sphere  also 
enlarged  itself,  and  the  French  sphere  likewise,  until  before  the 
end  of  1885,  a  commissioner  had  to  be  appointed  by  the  three 
governments  to  decide  how  much  of  the  temtorial  spoil  each 
should  have. 

At  this  time,  Emin  Pasha  was  at  work  in  the  Equatorial  region, 
and  was  tliought  to  be  surrounded  by  the  Mahdists  at  Wadelai,  on 
the  Upper  Nile.  To  rescue  him  —  albeit,  the  result  showed  that  he 
did  not  greatly  need  or  appreciate  a  rescue  —  Stanley  set  out  up  the 
Congo  in  the  beginning  of  1877.  In  the  meantime,  Dr.  Karl  Peters, 
founder  of  the  German  Colonization  Society  and  head  of  the  Ger- 
man East  Africa  Company,  had  undertaken  a  second  exploring 
expedition  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  continent,  which  resulted  after 
two  or  three  years  in  his  being  appointed  Imperial  Commissioner 
of  the  German  Protectorate.  It  thus  happened  that  while  Stanley 
was  in  the  interior,  and  Peters  was  exploring  in  the  same  region, 
the    two    expeditions,    in    the    language    of    Keltie,    "played  at 


\:a)  the  story  of  south  AFRICA 

hide-and-seek  with  each  other  for  some  time,  but  never  met.''* 
This  condition  of  affairs  led  to  what  is  called  the  Anglo-German 
agreement  of  1890,  which  was  the  third  African  international 
compact  of  the  epoch.  When  Stanley,  on  the  South  shore  of  Victoria 
Nyauza,  found  Emin  Pasha,  the  necessity  for  "relieving"  that 
diligent  but  eccentric  explorer  had  passed ;  for  an  agreement  had 
already  been  reached  between  the  two  governments  concerned,  and 
the  "sphere"  of  each  had  been  so  determined  that  Emin  Pasha's 
further  efforts  to  extend  the  dominion  of  his  country  were  useless. 
A  line  of  demarcation  between  the  British  assumption  and  that  of 
Germany  had  been  declared. 

By  this  compact,  Germany  retired  to  the  north  of  the  boundary 
which  was  drawm  from  the  Umba  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake. 
Great  Britain  was  left  to  claim  all  the  coast  country  north  of  the 
river  Jub.  This  region  had  already  been  declared  by  the  British 
East  Africa  Company  to  be  a  protectorate.  The  boundary  line  was 
extended  across  Victoria  Nyanza,  and  thence  westward  to  the 
eastern  boundary  of  the  Congo  Free  State.  On  this  basis,  the 
adjustment  was  confirmed  as  to  the  two  nations  concerned,  and 
was  accepted  by  the  others. 

Already,  however,  a  more  formal  and  important  conference 
was  on  at  Brussels.  Nearly  two  years  previously,  namely,  in  Sep- 
tember of  1888,  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury  had  sent  a  dispatch  to 
the  British  representative  at  the  Belgian  capital,  suggesting  that 
the  king  should  call  a  conference  of  the  Powers  to  contrive  meas- 
ures for  the  more  effectual  suppression  of  the  slave-trade.  This 
meeting,  which  w^as  the  fourth  of  the  series,  was  accordingly  desig- 
nated as  the  Brussels  Anti-Slavery  Conference.    The  ooay  assembled 

•  "The  Partition  of  Africa,"  by  J.  S.  Keltie.  pape  354. 


THE  EPOCH  OF  PARTITION  151 

in  November  of  1889,  and  the  sittings  were  continued  until  July 
of  the  following  year,  when  the  proceedings  were  brought  to  a 
close.  The  results  were  recorded  in  an  agreement,  the  substance 
of  which,  as  summarized  by  McDermot  in  his  work  entitled  British 
East  Africa,  was  as  follows: 

1.  Progressive  organization  of  the  administrative,  judicial, 
religious  and  military  services  in  the  African  territories  placed 
under  the  sovereignty  or  protectorate  of  civilized  nations. 

2.  The  gradual  establishment  in  the  interior,  by  the  Powers 
to  which  the  territories  are  subject,  of  strongly  occupied  stations 
in  such  a  w^ay  as  to  make  their  protective  or  repressive  action 
effectively  felt  in  the  territories  devastated  by  slave-hunting. 

3.  The  construction  of  roads,  and  in  particular  of  railways, 
connecting  the  advanced  stations  with  the  coast,  and  permitting 
easy  access  to  the  inland  waters,  and  to  such  of  the  upper  courses 
of  the  rivers  and  streams  as  are  broken  by  rapids  and  cataracts,  in 
view  of  substituting  economical  and  rapid  means  of  transport  for 
the  present  means  of  carriage  by  men. 

4.  Establishment  of  steamboats  on  the  inland  navigable  waters 
and  on  the  lakes,  supported  by  fortified  posts  established  on  the 
banks. 

5.  Establishment  of  telegraphic  lines,  ensuring  the  communi- 
cation of  the  posts  and  stations  with  the  coast  and  with  the  admin- 
istrative centers. 

fi.  Organization  of  expeditions  and  flying  columns  to  keep  up 
the  communication  of  the  stations  with  each  other  and  with  the 
coast,  to  support  repressive  action,  and  to  ensure  the  securit}'^  of 
high-roads. 

7.     Restriction    of    the    importation    of    fire-arms,    at    least    of 


ir,2  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

modern  pattern,  and  of  ammunition,  throughout  the  entire  extent 
of  the  territories  infected  by  the  slave-trade. 

It  will  be  noted  from  the  tenor  and  subject-matter  of  the 
foregoing  clauses,  that  the  Brussels  Conference  of  1890  was  concerned 
more  about  the  social  and  industrial  possibilities  of  Central  Africa 
than  it  was  about  the  political  divisions  thereof.  But  the  partition 
of  the  continent  had,  in  the  meantime,  gone  steadily  forward,  as 
if  the  process  were  enlivened  by  its  own  principles  and  momentum, 
as  indeed  it  was. 

By  the  date  of  the  close  of  the  Brussels  Conference  of  1890,  a 
new  map  of  Africa  had,  as  it  were,  presented  itself  for  the  accept- 
ance of  the  world.  Its  principal  features  of  change  are  as  follows: 
German  Southwest  Africa  had  extended  itself  far  into  the  interior, 
until  with  a  narrow  frontier  it  touched  the  headwaters  of  the 
Zambesi.  The  Congo  Free  State  had  enlarged  itself  on  the  south- 
east by  dropping  down  until,  in  the  very  center  of  South  Africa,  it 
lay  against  the  borders  of  the  British  protectorate.  German  East 
Africa  had  taken  for  its  permanent  eastern  boundary  the  ocean 
from  Cape  Delgado  to  Pongwe,  about  three  degrees  north  of  the 
island  of  Zanzibar.  From  that  point  the  boundary  lay  to  the 
northwest  to  its  intersection  with  the  east  shore  of  Victoria 
Nyanza.  From  this  line  northward  to  Abyssinia  and  westward  to 
the  headwaters  of  the  Congo,  that  is,  to  the  watershed  between 
those  waters  and  those  which  flow  into  the  Nile,  was  constructed 
the  vast  territory  called  Imperial  British  East  Africa. 

The  Portuguese  coast  \vas  confirmed  from  Cape  Delgado  south- 
waid  to  Tongaland.  Cape  Colony  had  enlarged  itself  in  an  imperial 
way  to  the  north.  Basutoland  and  Natal  were  included  on  the 
east.    Part  of  Bechuaualand  became  a  crown  colony  and  the  vast 


THE  EPOCH  OF  PARTITION  153 

remainder  a  British  protectorate.  From  the  parallel  of  twenty-two 
south  latitude,  measuring  northward,  began  the  immense  region 
known  as  British  South  Africa,  which  extends  northward  to  the 
Congo  Free  State  and  German  East  Africa,  and  on  the  east  to 
Lake  Nyassa  and  the  Portuguese  possessions. 

Many  other  changes  had  also  taken  place  in  the  five-year  period 
preceding  1890.  The  various  British  possessions  lying  between  the 
Cameroons  and  French  Senegal  had  been  enlarged  and  defined.  It 
appeared  at  this  time  that  the  contention  of  Great  Britain  for  the 
possession  of  the  valley  of  the  Niger  would  be  determined  in  her 
favor.  The  Royal  Niger  Chartered  Company  had  laid  its  claim 
between  the  German  Cameroons  and  the  French  Colony  of  Benin, 
and  had  extended  the  same  far  up  the  river  to  about  the  four- 
teenth parallel  of  north  latitude.  The  Spanish  protectorate,  reaching 
from  Cape  Blanco  to  Cape  Juby,  opposite  the  Canaries,  had  been 
recognized  and  confirmed.  Vast  regions  in  the  interior,  how^ever, 
still  remained  to  be  appropriated  at  the  beginning  of  the  tenth 
decennium,  and  it  is  the  after  part  of  the  scramble  which  has 
given  character  to  history  in  this  quarter  of  the  globe  at  the  close 
of  the  century. 

This  struggle  has  gone  on  with  such  rapidity,  so  many  threaten- 
ings  and  reconciliations,  and  such  astonishing  results,  that  on  the 
whole  the  partition  of  Africa,  which  has  now  been  virtually  com- 
pleted, presents  the  most  marvelous  geographical  and  political 
transformation  which  has  ever  been  witnessed  in  human  progress 
in   a  like  period  of  time. 

Let  us,  then,  briefly  contemplate  the  African  map  as  it  presented 
itself  in  the  year  1895.  By  this  time  not  a  single  district  on  the  coast 
of  the  continent,  except  the  Sultanate   of  Morocco  on  the  noitli- 


154  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

west,  and  the  vilayet  of  Tripoli  on  the  north,  reaching  from  Tunis 
to  the  borders  of  Kgypt,  had  escaped  the  foreign  domination.  Per- 
haps the  little  republic  of  Liberia  ought  also  to  be  excepted,  as 
that  is  virtually  a  native  state. 

In  the  case  of  Egypt  likewise,  the  question  of  dependency  may 
be  raised,  for  that  is  still  nominally  a  Turkish  tributary.  The 
Nubian  desert,  as  well,  from  the  southern  boundary  of  Egypt  to 
the  northeastern  angle  of  the  Italian  protectorate,  where  the  same 
touches  the  Red  Sea,  about  one  hundred  miles  south  of  Suakim, 
may  be  considered  as  African  rather  than  European  territory.  As 
to  the  interior,  south  of  the  Negro  Sultanate  of  Wadi,  which  has 
its  limit  about  the  eighth  parallel  of  north  latitude,  not  a  single 
scrap  of  Africa,  except  the  small  region  between  Angola  and  the 
British  Central  Protectorate,  reinains  under  native  control.  All  of 
the  rest  of  the  continent,  which  measures  11,621,530  square  miles, 
and  bears  a  total  population  of  (approximately)  140,000,000  souls, 
has  passed  under  the  dominion  of  the  European  nations. 

For  better  or  for  w^orse,  this  result  has  come  to  pass.  It  is  a 
historical  fact  with  which,  independently  of  its  antecedents,  the 
present  and  the  future  must  deal  according  to  the  wisdom  that  is  in 
the  nations.  If  the  ancient  virus  of  selfishness  in  the  race  could 
be  neutralized  with  some  benevolent  antidote,  and  if  the  brutal 
law  of  competition  should  cease  to  be  the  prevailing  force  with 
men  and  nations,  then  the  work  of  regenerating  Africa  would  cer- 
tainly afford  the  most  beautiful  and  salubrious  field  for  human 
exertion  to  be  found  in  all  the  earth. 

Dropping  the  forecast,  however,  let  us  look  attentively  at  what 
is.  On  the  northwest,  the  French  Protectorate  has  spread  south- 
ward  to   include   the   country   to   about   the    fifteenth   parallel   of 


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THE  EPOCH  OF  PARTITION  157 

north  latitude,  where  it  reaches  the  territory  of  the  Ro5'al  Niger 
Company  of  Great  Britain.  Thence  the  French  sphere  spreads 
westward  and  southward  to  the  ivory  coast  of  Guinea  and  to  the 
Atlantic  shores  from  Cape  Blanco  to  Gambia. 

As  we  have  said,  the  French  sphere  is,  territorially  considered, 
the  greatest  of  all  the  European  dependencies  in  Africa.  Between 
the  years  1890  and  1895,  the  Spanish  Protectorate  carried  its  boun- 
daries into  the  interior  until  a  large,  though  not  very  promising, 
province  was  established  —  this  on  the  northwest  border  of  the 
continent.  On  the  whole,  by  the  date  just  named,  the  red  of  Great 
Britain  had  diffused  itself  more  and  more  over  the  map,  particu- 
larly in  the  south.  The  Imperial  dominions  at  this  juncture 
extended  centrally  from  the  eighth  to  the  thirty-fifth  parallel  of 
south  latitude,  a  distance  of  more  than  two  thousand  miles. 
Strangely  enough,  the  British  expansion  was,  in  this  instance, 
altogether  towards  the  interior  and  not  maritime. 

On  the  west,  from  the  equator  to  the  mouth  of  the  Orange 
River,  the  country  was  wholly  occupied  by  the  great  dependencies 
of  France,  Portugal  and  Germany.  In  the  interior,  the  Congo  Free 
State  had  been  allowed  to  enlarge  itself,  mostly  by  the  suggestion 
of  the  rivers  and  the  mountains,  to  French  Ubangi  on  the  north  ; 
to  British  East  Africa  and  German  East  Africa  on  the  east;  to 
British  Central  Africa  and  Angola  on  the  south. 

The  outlines  of  German  East  Africa  we  have  already  traced  in 
a  preceding  paragraph.*  By  the  year  under  consideration  (1895), 
the  eastern,  half-peninsular  projection  of  the  continent  had  passed 
almost  wholly  to  the  dominion  of  Italy,  whose  protectorate,  as  we 
have  seen,  extended  from  a  short  distance  south  of  Suakim  to  the 

*  See  page  153. 


158 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


equatorial  line.  Within  this  region,  however^  on  the  gulf  of  Aden 
and  looking  to  the  north,  lies  the  little  Somaliland  protectorate  of 
Great  Britain.  Out  of  this  general  view  we  have  left  for  special 
notice  in  the  following  two  chapters  the  South  African  Republics 
of  the  Dutch;  that  is,  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the  Transvaal  or 
South  African  Republic. 

For  the  present  chapter,  we  conclude  the  discussion  of  the 
political  aspect  with  the  following  summary  of  relative  areas,  popula- 
tions, and  averages  to  the  square  mile,  of  the  various  European 
dependencies  in  the  Dark  Continent,  and  also  the  native  remainder. 
It  will  be  seen,  as  a  general  result,  that  more  than  9.000,000  square 
miles  out  of  a  total  of  a  little  more  than  11,500,000  square  miles 
have  passed  from  native  to  foreign  control,  and  this  does  not 
include  among  the  foreign  dependencies  Egj^pt  or  Liberia. 


SUMMARY  OF 

AFRICAN  STATISTICS,  1895 

.* 

NAME    OF   PARENT   STATE. 

AREA  SQUARE 
MILES. 

POPULATION. 

INHABITANTS 

TO  THE  SQUARE 

MILE. 

French  Africa 

3,326,790 

2,194,880 

905,090 

884,810 

826,730 

548,880 

177,750 

153,834 

9,018,760 

2,602,770 

11,621,530 

30,089,000 

43,227,700 

16,300,000 

8,370,000 

5,472,000 

5,150,000 

764,000 

443,000 

112,545,700 

16,990,000 

139,535,700 

9.6 

British  Africa 

20. 

Belgian  Africa  (Congo) 

German  Africa 

18. 
9.4 

Portuguese  Africa 

6.6 

Italian  Africa 

8. 

Dutch  Africa  (Republics)  .... 
Spanish  Africa 

4. 
3. 

Total  European  Africa 

Native  Africa 

12. 
6  5 

All  Africa 

12. 

Concerning  this  summary  of  areas,  populations,  etc.,  we  should 
remark  that  under  the  head  of  population,  the   native  races  living 


•  Deduced  from  Keltie'B  "Partiiicm  cf  Africa,"  pp.  B19  521. 


THE  EPOCH  OF  PARTITION  159 

within  the  European  dependencies  are,  of  course,  included  with  the 
small  sprinkling  of  Europeans  proper.  The  real  white  population 
of  these  vast  areas  is  small.  Indeed  the  whites  could  not  be 
reckoned  in  the  aggregate  of  Africa  but  for  their  governing  control, 
and  for  the  fact  that  they  are  supported  with  adequate  military 
forces  from  the  European  centers  of  power. 

To  the  foregoing  statistical  facts  certain  social  and  anthropo- 
logical considerations  of  great  importance  must  be  added.  Africa 
ought  to  be  viewed  as  a  whole  with  respect  to  its  receptivitij  of 
civilization;  that  is,  civilization  according  to  the  European  standards. 
Of  what  use  can  the  continent  be  made  to  the  high  contracting 
powers  that  possess  it  and  struggle  for  it,  unless  there  be  a  potency 
of  something  to  be  gained  by  the  tremendous  movement?  Let  us, 
then,  note  a  few  of  the  still  more  general  features  which  suggest 
or  contradict  the  partition  of  Africa  with  a  view  to  Europeanizing 
the  continent. 

Within  the  more  than  eleven  and  a  half  million  square  miles  of 
African  temtory  exist  nearly  all  the  ultimate  resources  of  human 
progress ;  but  they  exist  under  conditions  which  will  make  them  diffi- 
cultly obtainable  by  the  possessors.  It  is  one  thing,  for  instance,  to 
possess  a  fertile  territory,  and  it  is  another  thing  that  the  fecundity 
of  that  territory  shall  offer  itself  freely  to  human  exertion. 

Certainly  not  all  of  the  natural  elements  of  wealth  are  to  be 
found  in  the  African  receptacle.  For  example,  all  of  those  resources 
which  are  peculiar  to  the  borderland  of  snow  must  be  omitted 
from  the  count.  This  will  include  the  hardier  and  more  enduring 
forms  of  timber,  the  fur-bearing  animals,  etc.  It  will  also  exclude 
certain  important  cereals  and  root  products,  the  cultivation  of 
which  follows  the  fluctuations  of  temperature  and  season.    For  the 


160  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

rest,  Africa  possesses  all ;  and  it  might  almost  be  said  that  she  offers 
nothing.  Like  the  Klondike  deposits  of  gold,  lying  under  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  of  impenetrable  ice,  the  natural  wealth  of  Africa,  though 
with  conditions  totally  reversed,  is  nearly  all  protected  by  tropical 
heats,  blankets  of  malaria,  and  ferocious  aspects  of  nature  which 
repel  all  but  the  most  courageous  of  men. 

Over  and  above  this  there  is  a  still  larger  consideration. 
Africa,  more  than  any  other  continent,  repels  commerce.  The  sea- 
coast  line  of  the  continent,  measuring  around  from  the  Delta  of 
Egypt  to  the  Delta  again,  is  about  fifteen  thousand  miles  in  extent. 
It  is,  throughout,  the  smoothest  coast  line  in  the  world.  One  has 
only  to  glance  at  the  outline  to  see  its  bayless  and  harborless 
character.  Notwithstanding  the  great  size  of  the  continent,  the 
shoreline  circumference  is  fully  four  thousand  miles  less  than  that 
of  Europe,  which  continent  is  only  one- third  the  area  of  Africa! 
The  European  coast  is  eaten  in  everywhere  with  bays,  inlets  and 
harbors  innumerable;  but  the  coast  of  Africa  from  beginning  to 
end  has  not  one  important  indentation!  How  can  such  a  continent 
yield  itself  freely  to  the  demands  of  the  commercial  world? 

To  this  great  defect,  however,  there  is  some  compensation.  A 
large  number  of  great  rivers  flow  with  tremendous  volume  from 
the  far  interior  of  Africa,  thus  opening  water  channels  for  the 
admission  of  ships.  Of  this  kind  is  the  immemorial  Nile;  also  the 
Niger;  and  perhaps  most  resourceful  of  all,  the  Congo.  In  South 
Africa,  the  Orange  and  the  Zambesi  have  their  tributaries  in  the 
same  interior.  Towards  the  center  of  the  continent  lie  the  great 
lakes  —  the  Victoria  Nyanza,  Nyassa,  Tanganyika,  the  two  Alberts, 
Lake  Chad  and  several  others,  each  with  its  own  extensive  water 
drainage  and  system   of  streams.     To  the   extent  here  indicated, 


THE  EPOCH  OF  PARTITION  161 

Africa  is  penetrable,  and  the  commercial  resources  of  the  interior 
may  be  got  to  the  borderland  of  ocean.  For  the  rest,  the  coast 
seems  to  forbid  the  approach  of  ships  more  than  does  the  shore  of 
any  other  major  division  of  the  earth. 

Still  another  question  arises  —  that  of  temperature.  Africa  is 
tropical.  It  is  the  most  tropical  of  all  the  countries  of  the  globe, 
and  therefore  has  the  greatest  zone  of  heat.  Hence  the  human 
frame  and  faculties  are  exhausted  from  relaxation.  Only  South 
America  is  comparable  in  position  with  the  African  continent.  But 
South  America  is  climatically  ameliorated  by  many  conditions  which 
make  even  her  tropical  belt  both  delightful  and  salubrious,  as  well 
as  productive.  On  the  west,  the  great  Andes  rise,  making  residence 
desirable  for  Europeans  and  Americans,  even  under  the  equatorial 
line. 

North  of  that  line,  South  America  has  but  little  more  than  ten 
degrees  of  territory.  The  high  interior  of  Brazil,  drained  by  the 
tributaries  of  the  Amazon,  is  habitable  by  men  of  all  races.  The 
climate  is  by  no  means  intolerable  at  any  point  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  South  America.  The  most  insalubrious  part  is  the  district 
lying  between  the  delta  of  the  Orinoco  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Amazon. 

In  Africa,  the  mollifying  conditions  do  not  exist;  or  they  exist 
to  such  a  limited  extent,  chiefly  in  the  southern  and  eastern  part 
of  the  continent,  that  at  no  place  within  the  tropics  is  there  a  really 
healthful  and  nerve-building  environment  for  people  of  the  Aryan 
race.  And  of  this  character  of  physical  and  mental  discouragement 
is  nearly  the  whole  of  the  continent. 

Africa,  as  we  have  said,  is  the  tropical  country  par  excellence. 
Noi-th  of  the  tropic  of  Cancer,  between   that  line  and  the  Mediter- 


162  TllK  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

nuieiin,  only  iibout  three  million  square  miles  of  the  whole  area  are 
incliulod.  At  the  other  end  of  the  continent,  the  region  between 
tlio  troi)ic  of  Capricorn  and  the  sea  has  an  area  of  less  than  one 
million  square  miles.  All  of  the  remainder,  amounting  to  more 
than  seven  million  six  hundred  thousand  square  miles,  is  within 
the  tropics,  and  the  torridity  is  appalling.  Over  the  vast  region 
the  sun  swings  north  and  south,  looking  down  vertically  on  desert 
and  forest  and  interminable  morass,  heating  the  whole  as  if  with 
tire  and  furnace  steam,  until  it  challenges  the  hardy  races  to  enter 
or  approach  at  the  peril  of  their  lives. 

The  emplacement  of  Africa  in  the  vastness  of  the  seas  puts 
the  continent  under  interdict  as  to  those  cheering  vicissitudes  of 
climate  which  seem  to  be  so  essential  to  the  physical  and  mental 
vigor  of  mankind.  Looking  out  from  Africa  in  all  directions, 
except  to  the  north,  there  is  nothing  but  a  world  of  waters  —  of 
warm  waters — which  lave  the  shores  from  century  to  century,  for- 
bidding any  material  change  of  season  or  atmospheric  condition. 
The  ocean  currents  that  reach  the  coast  from  distant  seas,  born,  as 
they  are,  of  the  rotation  of  the  earth  and  the  pulsations  of  the 
deep,  are  all  salt  rivers  of  steam.  The  only  exception  is  the  cooler 
current  which  sweeps  up  the  west  shore  from  Benguela  to  the 
Congo  delta.  There  is  also  a  phenomenon  of  this  kind  off  the 
coast  of  Spanish  Africa,  modifying  favorably  the  temperature  of 
that  country. 

It  would  appear,  then,  that  on  the  whole,  the  common  and 
traditional  belief  of  mankind  relative  to  the  inhabitability  of 
Africa  by  people  of  the  Aryan  stock  is  warranted  by  the  facts  as 
they  are  written  eternally  in  the  conditions  of  nature.  The  one 
race  of  men  which  seems  to  be  invincible  in  the  tropical  parts  of 


THE  EPOCH  OF  PARTITION  163 

the  continent  is  the  Nigritian  race,  whose  millions  sweat  in  naked- 
ness and  flourish  in  the  mephitic  atmosphere,  unhurt  by  their 
environment.  How,  indeed,  should  it  be  otherwise,  since  the  blacks 
are  the  survivors  of  an  ethnic  evolution  which  has  destroyed  all 
the  rest? 

After  the  negroes  come  the  Hamites,  who  are  the  preponderat- 
ing people  in  the  country  of  the  central  lakes.  After  these  are 
the  Semitic  Arabs,  and  the  mixed  breeds  in  which  a  percentage  of 
white  blood  flows  safely  in  the  channels  of  the  black.  Finally 
come  the  intruding,  conquering,  masterful  Europeans,  whose  mis- 
sion, if  we  look  no  further  than  the  morality  of  nature,  seems  to 
be  the  control,  direction,  use  and  abuse,  of  the  vast  native  mass,  in 
carrying  out  the  blind  purposes  of  human  destiny. 

In  spite  of  all  this,  however,  the  economic  nature-maps  of  Africa 
give  evidences  of  vast  and  varied  promises.  Thus,  for  example,  the 
Orographical  Map,  exhibiting  the  elevation  of  the  different  parts  of 
the  continent  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  shows  larger  and  still 
larger  areas  of  high-up  country  that,  under  the  dominion  of  civiliza- 
tion, must  prove  to  be  residence  areas  for  large  masses  of  pro- 
gressive men.  In  Abyssinia,  the  mountain  ranges  rise  easily  above 
the  level  of  ten  thousand  feet.  There  are  spots  under  the  very 
equator,  between  Victoria  Nyanza  and  the  sea,  which  ascend  to  the 
same  great  altitude.  There  are  other  and  still  greater  regions, 
namely,  in  Abyssinia,  surrounding  the  great  lakes,  around  the  South 
African  coast,  inland  from  Walfish  Bay  and  Benguela,  in  Darfur, 
and  in  the  mountainous  region  of  Marocco,  in  which  the  highlands 
rise  to  the  salubrious  and  nerve-making  range  of  elevation  between 
five  thousand  and  ten  thousand  feet.  The  greater  part  of  Africa, 
below  the  tifth  parallel  of  south  latitude,  has  an  elevation  of  from 


164  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

two  thousand  to  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Other  vast  areas 
vary  from  five  hundred  to  two  thousand  feet;  and  the  remainder 
has  an  elevation  of  less  than  five  hundred  feet. 

Yet  again  we  may  look  with  interest  at  the  map  which  shows 
the  range  of  navigable  waters  in  Africa.  This  includes,  first  of  all, 
a  sea  coast  of  fifteen  thousand  miles.  On  the  west  coast  it 
includes  the  rivers  Senegal,  Gambia  and  Grande.  It  includes,  in 
the  next  place,  the  tremendous  Niger  with  its  southern  tributary; 
also  the  small  rivers  Gross,  Mimi  and  Ogove.  Of  the  navigability 
of  the  Congo  we  have  already  spoken;  but  the  ascent  of  this  great 
stream  is  broken  for  a  considerable  distance  in  the  region  of  the 
falls  and  rapids.  Above  Stanley  Pool,  the  stream  again,  together 
with  no  few^er  than  twelve  of  its  tributaries,  becomes  navigable  for 
river  steamers  of  large  capacity.  At  St.  Paul  de  Loanda,  the 
Coanza  may  be  ascended  for  more  than  one  hundred  miles.  On 
the  east  coast,  the  Limpopo,  the  Pungue,  the  Zambesi  and  the 
Shire,  are  reckoned  as  navigable  streams.  All  of  the  great  lakes 
of  the  interior  are  as  navigable  as  our  own.  Finally,  the  Nile 
with  its  tributaries,  except  in  the  regions  of  the  Falls  and  Cata- 
racts, is  navigable  from  about  the  fifth  parallel  of  north  latitude  to 
the  Mediterranean.  All  these  conditions  are  favorable  to  the 
spread  of  European  civilization,  and  are  included  among  the  com- 
mercial possibilities  of  Africa. 

We  thus  conclude  our  survey  of  the  continent  as  a  whole, 
reserving  the  following  chapters  for  the  special  consideration  of 
the  Dutch  Republics  in  the  south. 


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CHAPTER    X 


THE    TWO    REPUBLICS 


In  the  preceding  pages  we  have  followed  in  outline  the  devel- 
opment of  the  various  European  dependencies  in  Africa.  Besides 
these  there  are  two  independent  States^  which,  having  a  European 
origin,  have  grown  up  on  African  soil,  becoming  commonwealths 
in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word.  These  are  the  Orange  Free 
State  and  the  South  African  Republic. 

Both  of  these  commonwealths  have  been  derived  from  European 
planting;  but  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  free  from  European 
patronage.  They  are,  therefore,  independent  states.  The}^  are  in 
exact  analogy  with  the  Old  Thirteen  Colonies  of  the  United  States 
before  the  Revolution.  We  shall  now  narrate  the  origin  and  devel- 
opment of  these  two  singular  democracies,  standing  alone,  as  they 
do,  in  a  vast  continent,  having  no  foreign  power  behind  them  and 
nothing  within  them  but  their  own  rugged  vitality. 

There  are,  however,  in  Africa,  two  other  divisions  which  are, 
in  some  measure,  in  the  same  category  with  the  two  republics  of 
the  Dutch.  The  other  two  are  Liberia  and  the  great  Algerian 
dependency  of  France.  The  former  is  the  unsatisfying  result  of  an 
attempt  to  create  a  native  republic,  and  the  latter,  though  a  colony, 
is  in  touch  with  the  Republic  of  France,  and  is  a  derivative  there- 
from. French  Congo  also  has  this  character.  But  for  the  rest,  all 
of  Africa  has  passed  under  the  control  of  the  European  monarchies, 
insomuch  that  the  Africa  of  to-day  may  be  regarded  as  an  appan- 
age of  the  crowns  of  Europe. 

(16-) 


168  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Two  groups  of  tliese  immense  dependencies,  namely,  those  of 
Great,  Britain  (the  British  group  of  provinces  numbers  ten)  and 
those  of  Germany  (the  German  group  numbers  three)  are  imperial 
in  their  derivation  and  development.  Angola,  the  Congo  Free 
State,  Portuguese  East  Africa,  the  Italian  protectorate,  and  the 
Spanish  protectorate,  are  monarchial ;  that  is,  they  are  dependencies 
of  monarchy.  Since,  however,  they  are  not  and  cannot  become 
integral  parts  of  the  monarchies  to  which  they  belong,  these  also 
assume  the  imperial  character;  for  these  colonial  states,  with  the 
populations  which  they  contain,  are  not  homogeneous  with  the 
home  government,  but  heterogeneous  and  detached  parts  thereof. 
Africa,  therefore,  as  a  whole,  has  become  Imperial  Africa.  That 
is  the  aspect  of  the  larger  question.  That  is  the  significance  of 
the  division  of  the  continent  among  the  powers.  The  dependencies 
of  France,  even,  give  to  the  mother  republic,  or  tend  to  give,  the 
character  of  an  empire ;  in  so  much  that  France  is  no  longer  simply 
a  republic,  but  rather  an  Imperial  Republic,  spreading  in  the 
manner  of  her  prototype.  Imperial  Rome,  before  the  empire  of 
Rome  was  declared. 

To  all  this,  then,  the  two  Dutch  republics  are  distinctly  excep- 
tional. They  are  not  as  yet  parts  of  the  imperial  scheme.  They 
do  not  surrender  their  democratic  independence  for  the  elusive 
advantages  of  an  imperial  connection.  The  significance  of  the 
conflict  with  which  the  century  closes  relates  emphatically  to  this 
exceptional  standing  and  character  of  the  7'emaini7ig  tivo  free  countries 
in  South  Africa. 

The  Orange  Free  State,  known  originally  as  the  Orange  River 
Sovereignty,  and  afterwards  as  the  Orange  River  Free  State,  had 
its  origin,  as  we  have   seen  in   a   former   chapter,  in   an  exodus  of 


THE  TWO  REPUBLICS  169 

the  Dutch  Boers  out  of  Natal  and  Cape  Colony  across  the  south 
branch  of  the  Orange  River  called  the  Caledon.  The  territory  is 
bounded  on  the  south  by  this  stream  through  nearly  its  whole 
extent.  On  the  east,  the  principal  boundary  is  the  Drakensburg 
range  of  mountains.  On  the  north,  the  limit  is  the  river  Vaal  and 
the  river  Buffalo,  which  is  the  tributary  of  the  Tugela.  On  the 
west,  the  boundary  is  artificial,  dividing,  as  it  does,  the  Free  State 
from  Griqualand  West.  The  shape  and  delimitation  of  the  country 
show  clearly  enough  that  it  was  occupied  in  the  first  place  and 
determined  in  its  boundaries,  not  by  surveyors  with  theodolites  and 
diplomatical  agents  with  note-books,  but  by  folks  seeking  a  home. 
Such  irregularity  of  geographical  outline  may  be  noticed  (and  for 
the  same  reason)  in  all  the  older  states  of  the  American  Union. 

The  settlement  of  the  Orange  Free  State  carries  us  far  back 
towards  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  first  per- 
manent colonization  was  effected  by  the  Dutch  in  1652.  The 
country  had  been  previously  explored  in  a  random  way  by  a 
company  of  shipwrecked  sailors  whom  a  stranded  Dutch  vessel  had 
cast  ashore  at  Table  Bay.  No  sooner  had  a  settlement  been  made, 
than  the  first  incoming  ship  from  Holland  bi-onght  recruits.  Then 
it  was,  in  1654,  that  that  peculiar  breed  of  men,  the  Dutch  Boer 
farmers,  was  established  in  the  valley  of  the  Orange.  They  were 
the  sons  and  grandsons  of  the  men  who  had  fought  Philip  of  Spain. 
They  went  to  South  Africa  to  seek  a  home,  just  as  our  forefathers 
came  to  New  England  and  Virginia.  They  were  descendents  of  the 
Dutch  patriots  who  had  won  the  freedom  and  independence  of 
their  country  in  the  Lowlands  of  Euro])o.  They  were  soon  joined  by 
refugees  and  exiles  from  several  of  the  opi)ressed  districts  of  the 
parent  continent. 


170  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Thus,  ill  the  Latter  part  of  the  century,  came  a  band  of  French 
Huguenots  into  South  Africa.  Thus  also,  out  of  the  Alpine  valleys 
of  Switzerland,  came  the  Waldensians,  and  the  Protestant  Pied- 
raontese.  These  brought  with  them  the  products  and  industrial 
methods  of  the  home  countries.  They  planted  the  vine  in  Boer- 
land.  They  added  greatly  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Dutch  colonists, 
with  whom  they  easily  combined  and  melted  into  a  common  type. 
It  were  hard  to  say  whether  the  Dutch  element  or  the  refugee  element 
predominated  in  the  communities  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  The  non-Dutch  contributions  were  so  considerable  that 
the  language  was  infected  and  the  institutions  of  the  country 
modified.  In  1724,  the  authorities  decreed  that  the  Dutch  be  the 
official  language ;  French  and  other  dialects  were  excluded  from  the 
schools  and  courts. 

The  climate  of  the  region  to  which  destiny  had  led  the  emigrant 
Boers,  is  rather  dry,  but  especially  healthful.  The  forests,  of  sub- 
tropical character,  in  some  districts  are  fine.  At  the  time  of  the 
Great  Trek,  many  of  the  tropical  animals,  including  the  lion,  the 
rhinoceros,  the  elephant,  and  the  giraffe,  were  found,  but  all  of 
these  have  disappeared;  they  too  have  trekked  far  into  the  safer 
interior!  To  the  present  day  an  occasional  herd  of  antelope  may 
be  seen  in  the  hill  country.  The  soil  is  for  the  most  part  fertile, 
suggesting  agricultural  products,  or,  missing  that,  the  pastoral  life. 

The  Boers,  once  settled  in  their  new  homes,  took  naturally  to 
their  original  manner  of  life,  subject  only  to  such  modification  as 
the  environment  made  necessary.  More  than  hitherto  they  became 
the  breeders  of  cattle,  horses,  goats,  sheep  and  ostriches.  As  for  the 
mineral  wealth,  they  gave  not  much  heed,  except  to  those  resources 
which  were  immediately  serviceable,  such  as  coal   and  iron.    For 


THE  TWO  REPUBLICS  171 

the  rest  the  country  was  laid  out  in  farms.  Orchards  and  vineyards 
were  planted,  and  the  Free  State  became  an  agricultural  common- 
wealth. An  export  trade  was  established,  the  staple  articles  being 
wool,  skins,  ostrich  feathers,  and  diamonds.  For  these  an  exit  to 
foreign  markets  was  found  at  Durban  and  Cape  Town. 

The  autocracy  of  the  Dutch  leaders  in  the  newly  founded 
State  became  pronounced.  Their  relations  with  the  natives  were 
severe  and  at  times  oppressive.  They  took  possession  of  the  lands 
with  the  original  inhabitants  included,  and  the  latter  became 
virtually  slaves.  Though  the  Dutch  were  themselves  farmers  and 
artisans,  they  compelled  the  native  serfs  to  perform  the  hand-labor 
requisite  to  the  development  of  the  country.  A  social  condition 
supervened,  not  dissimilar  to  that  in  the  old  slave-holding  colonies 
of  the  United  States. 

Perhaps  the  strongest  hold  for  animadversion  which  the  enemies 
of  the  Boers  have  in  recent  times,  is  their  slaveholding  propensity 
and  habit.  The  word  slave  has  a  hard  sound  in  the  ear  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  the  leaders  of  affairs  in  all  civilized  countries  avail  them- 
selves of  the  ignominious  word  in  order  to  put  opprobrium  on  all 
the  slaveholding  kind.  At  the  same  time,  they  who  do  this,  while 
avoiding  for  themselves  the  odium  attaching  to  downright  chattel 
servitude,  beat  about  and  introduce  social  conditions  which  are 
virtually  as  servile  and  unequal  and  wretched  as  are  found  in  out- 
right slavery.  The  most  progressive  nations  of  the  world  have,  in 
the  present  age,  adopted  the  role  of  getting  as  near  to  the  margin 
of  chattel  slavery  as  may  be  done  without  subjecting  themselves 
thereby  to  the  hostility  of  mankind.  Thus  have  arisen  the  various 
"labor  systems"  of  modern  times.  The  Boers  have  been  sufficiently 
culpable  on   the  score  of  slaveholding,  and   it  will   be  well  if  the 


17l»  the  story  of  south  AFRICA. 

present  crisis  in  South  Africa  shall  teach  them  to  abandon  the 
system  forever. 

The  master  class  in  the  Orange  State  did  not  content  itself 
with  the  reduction  of  the  Kaffirs  and  the  Hottentots.  The  latter 
were  a  rude  and  pastoral  race  who  did  not  yield  their  energies 
readily  to  the  heavy  toil  of  field  and  garden.  They  were  clever  in 
the  care  of  flocks,  but  not  capable  as  diggers.  So  the  Boers  looked 
abroad  for  slaves  more  serviceable.  Many  Negroes  w^ere  brought 
from  the  interior,  and  also  gangs  of  Bantus,  who  submitted  to  the 
required  tasks.  As  in  the  case  of  our  Old  South,  the  slave  class 
soon  came  to  outnumber  the  whites.  It  appears,  however,  that  the 
tendencies  of  slave-making  were  at  length  checked  and  reversed  in 
the  Orange  River  Sovereignty,  and  that  by  the  time  of  the  aboli- 
tion in  Cape  Colony,  namely  in  1834,  the  whites  had  gained  upon 
the  slaves,  who,  in  the  open  regions  below  the  Orange  River,  numbered 
about  twenty-five  thousand. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  effort  of  the  British  authorities 
was  made  to  prevent,  rather  than  encourage,  territorial  expansion 
from  the  Cape.  The  Dutch  settlement  there,  which  had  become 
an  English  possession,  was  regarded  as  a  trading-station  which 
ought  to  be  fortified  and  strengthened;  but  no  thought  was  as  yet 
entertained  of  creating  a  broad  colonial  dependency.  Therefore  the 
spread  of  the  colony  was  deprecated. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  abolition  of  slavery  was  the  cause  of  the 
Dutch  migration  into  the  interior.  That  movement,  undertaken  in 
1824,  had,  however,  a  larger  reason  and  motive.  True,  the  agricul- 
tural system  of  the  Dutch  was  undone  by  the  act  of  emancipation, 
and  that  work  gi'eatly  disturbed  them.  Nothing  distresses  a  people 
more  than   the   upheaval  of  the   industrial   system,  whatever  that 


THE  TWO  REPUBLICS  173 

may  be.  Nothing  will  make  a  man  fight  more  savagely  than  to 
disturb  his  farm.  This  of  itself  was  no  doubt  sufficient  to  suggest 
the  trekking  of  the  Boers ;  l)ut  the  larger  reason  was  the  impos- 
sibility of  the  co-dwelling  of  two  master  races  in  the  same  country. 
The  Boers  were  a  master  race,  and  so  were  the  English.  They 
disagreed  on  many  things,  and  particularly  on  the  question  of 
whicli  should  master  the  other.  This  was  the  most  powerful  motive 
prevailing  in  the  epoch  of  the  trek. 

The  movement  under  consideration  could  not  be  resisted.  A 
system  of  migratory  farming  was  adopted  by  the  Boers,  who  would 
dwell  for  a  season  in  one  place,  and  for  the  next  season  in  another. 
At  each  removal  they  laid  out  and  planted  fields  and  gathered  a 
crop.  Then  the  trek  would  be  resumed.  It  was  this  process  which 
carried  the  Boer  population  of  the  Cape  northward  and  eastward, 
and  diffused  it  through  Natal,  the  Orange  River  Free  State,  and 
the  Transvaal. 

No  certain  statistics  exist  of  the  various  populations  of  South 
Africa  in  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century.  It  is  thought  that 
about  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the  British  ascendency,  that  is,  in 
1806,  the  inhabitants  of  the  Cape  countries  numbered  about  seventy- 
five  thousand.  Of  these,  one-third  were  Boer  farmers,  one-third  were 
Hottentots,  pure  and  mixed,  who  held  a  subject  and  servile  relation 
to  the  Dutch ;  and  the  remaining  third  were  imported  black  slaves. 
When  British  authority  was  established,  Dutch  authority  receded 
from  it.  The  fact  that  it  receded  into  the  interior  —  to  be  followed 
thither  by  the  British — accounts  for  the  anomalous  character  of 
the  present  map  of  South  Africa,  which  shows  the  British  protec- 
torates, not  on  the  coast,  but  rather  precluded  from  the  coast  by 
the    dependencies  of    other  nations  —  this  in  the  face  of  the  fact 


174  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

that  Great  Britain  is  the   most  singularly   maritime  power  in  the 

world. 

Crossing  the  Orange  River  the  trekkers  settled  in  the  country 
which,  with  the  natural  boundaries  already  stated,  includes  about 
forty-one  thousand  five  hundred  square  miles.  Here  a  republican 
government  was  organized,  having  the  aristocratical  characteristics 
much  the  same  as  did  the  old  State  governments  in  the  slaveholding 
quarter  of  our  republic.  The  Boers  transported  their  institutions 
froin  the  Cape  and  reestablished  them  in  a  land  where  they  believed 
themselves  to  be  safe  from  further  interruption.  The  double  trek 
had  carried  them  first  into  Natal,  and  thence  into  the  present  Free 
State  territory.  Here  the  dominant  class  organized  their  govern- 
ment in  a  way  to  exclude  from  the  franchise,  land  ownership,  and 
the  right  to  bear  arms,  the  servile  class  of  the  population. 

The  capital  of  the  country  was  established  at  Bloemfontein. 
The  city  is  on  the  Modder  River,  two  hundred  miles  to  the  north- 
west of  Durban.  The  latitude  is  twenty-nine  degrees  eight  minutes 
south,  and  the  longitude  is  twenty-six  degrees  and  forty  minutes 
east.  The  town  is  pleasantly  situated.  The  public  buildings  are 
worthy  of  the  country  and  people.  There  is  an  unpretending 
Capitol,  where  the  Volksraad  or  Popular  Assembly  holds  its  meet- 
ings, and  where  the  high  court  sits ;  also  a  hall  for  the  meetings 
of  the  municipal  council  of  Burghers. 

Before  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Dutch  States,  Bloemfontein 
was  no  more  than  a  small  country  town,  but  it  was  central  to  a 
large  and  productive  district  of  country.  By  the  year  1890,  the 
population  had  increased  to  three  thousand  five  hundred.  The 
railroad  northward  from  Elizabeth  passes  through  Bloemfontein  on 
its  way  to  Johannesburg  and  Pretoria.    In  recent  times  telegraphic 


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THE  TWO  REPUBLICS  177 

communication  has  been  opened  from  the  city  to  Natal  on  the 
east,  and  to  the  more  distant  Cape  Town  on  the  southwest.  Other 
places  of  considerable  importance  have  sprung  up,  of  which  the 
principal  are  Fauresmith,  Edenburg,  Philippolis,  Jacobsdal,  BoshofF, 
Winburg,  Hoopstad,  Kronstad,  Heilbron,  Frankfoi-t,  Harrismith, 
Ladybrand,  Ficksburg,  Bethulie,  Bethlehem,  Smithheld,  Rouxville, 
and  Wepener. 

Resuming  the  historical  thread,  we  note  the  early  conflict 
between  the  Dutch  Boer  immigrants  with  the  natives  north  of  the 
Orange.  The  aborigines  of  this  region  were  the  Griquas,  who,  find- 
ing themselves  about  to  be  included  in  a  foreign  dominion,  appealed 
to  the  British  authorities  at  Cape  Colony  for  protection. 

The  Griquas,  supported  by  the  influence  of  the  Colony,  went 
to  war.  Sir  Philip  Maitland,  Governor  of  Cape  Colony,  sent  a 
body  of  British  troops  to  the  aid  of  the  natives,  and  the  Dutch 
were  defeated  at  the  battle  of  Zwart  Koppeis,  in  1845.  This  gave 
excuse  for  the  establishment  of  a  British  residency  north  of  the 
Orange  River.  That  event  was  the  opening  wedge  for  still  further 
assumption,  and  in  1848,  Sir  Harry  Smith,  who  had  succeeded  Maitland 
as  governor  at  the  Cape,  made  a.  personal  journey  into  the 
troubled  region,  and  concluded  from  his  observations  that  the  best 
way  j:o  secure  peace  was  to  make  a  new  dependency  under  British 
protection.  Thus  came  the  Orange  River  Sovereignty.  Against 
this  movement  the  Boers  arose.  Then,  as  already  naiTated,  another 
fight  occurred  at  Boomplaats,  and  a  second  time  the  Boers  were 
worsted. 

The  Basuto  war  occurred  in  1852.  Governor  Cathcart,  of  Cape 
Colony,  sent  an  expedition  against  King  Moshesh  and  his  army  of 
Basutos,  who  were  defeated  by  the  British   in  the  battle  of  Berea. 


17S  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Having'  ^MiiuMl  thus  much,  the  victorious  British  concluded  to  con- 
cede political  autonomy  to  the  Boer  state;  and  this  was  done  in 
February  of  1854.  Such  action  to  the  people  of  the  Free  State  was 
the  uchiovement  of  the  independence  which  they  so  greatly  coveted. 

The  date  of  this  agreement  made  with  the  Boers  by  Sir  George 
Clerk,  special  commissioner  of  Great  Britain,  was  February  23,  1854. 
By  the  terms  of  the  compact  the  Boers  were  released  from  all  alle- 
giance to  the  British  crown,  and  were  permitted  to  organize  independ- 
ently on  a  Republican  basis.  This  they  did,  giving  to  their  country 
the  name  of  the  Orange  River  Free  State.  The  constitution  which 
they  adopted  placed  the  executive  power  in  the  hands  of  a  President. 
To  him  was  given  an  Administrative  Council.  The  legislative  depart- 
ment was  assigned  to  a  Volksraad,  or  Congress,  elected  by  the  people. 
The  judiciary  was  organized,  and  the  new  State  entered  upon  a  pros- 
perous career  which  was  not  seriously  disturbed  until  the  gold  fields 
were  discovered  at  Johannesburg  and  Witwatersrand ;  that  is,  until 
the  richness  of  these  deposits  was  made  known.  Another  great  find 
was  made  at  Barburton,  the  center  of  the  Kopp  region,  neai-  the  fron- 
tier of  Portuguese  East  Africa. 

In  this  attitude,  then,  the  people  of  the  Orange  Free  State  were 
placed  when  the  suzerainty  of  Great  Britain  was  declared,  in  a  prelim- 
inary way,  in  1877,  to  be  relaxed,  as  the  result  of  the  war  of  1880-81. 
That  war  reached  its  climax  in  the  rout  of  the  British  at  Majuba  Hill. 
After  that,  British  suzerainty  was  acknowledged  in  the  convention  of 
August  in  the  year  just  named. 

The  circumstances  of  the  colonization  by  the  Dutch  of  the 
country  north  of  the  Vaal  and  south  of  the  Limpopo,  have  been 
already  indicated  in  the  chapters  on  Cape  Colony  and  the  Orange 
Free  State.    The  original  rights   of  the   Dutch  at  the  Cape  were 


THE  TWO  REPUBLICS        •  179 

supplanted  by  the  imposition  of  British  authority  early  in  the  cen- 
tury as  a  result  of  the  Napoleonic  wars.  That  result  was  confirmed 
in  1815  at  the  Congress  of  Vienna.  Then  followed  the  period  of 
British  colonization,  which  was  superimposed  on  the  settlements  of 
the  Dutch. 

Then,  in  1834,  came  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  colonial 
dependencies  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  beginning  of  the  migration 
of  the  Boers  into  the  interior.  The  fretting  of  the  two  races — the 
aggression  of  the  one  and  the  resistance  of  the  other — next  led  to 
the  colonization  of  Natal.  From  this  region  the  Boers  were  at 
length  obliged  to  recede,  and  the  Orange  River  Sovereignty  was  con- 
stituted as  the  refuge  of  the  trekkers.  This  did  not  suffice,  and 
Pretorius  and  his  followers  made  their  way  across  the  Vaal.  Here 
they  found  themselves  among  the  aborigines,  who  were  the  Zulu- 
Kaffirs,  Hottentots,  and  mixed  races,  who  held  the  territory  in  the 
rude  manner  of  barbarians.  The  trekkers  did  not  attempt  to  expel 
the  native  inhabitants,  but  established  themselves  as  the  master  race. 
Tn  1840,  they  organized  the  Republic,  which,  after  nearly  sixty  years 
duration  has  been  thrust,  under  the  name  of  the  South  Afiican 
Republic,  into  the  foreground  of  history. 

The  great  leaders  of  the  Boers  were  Andrew  Pretorius,  Pieter 
Maritz,  and  \iin  Potgieter.  These  were  the  rough,  but  courageous, 
organizers  of  the  sturdy  government  which  took  its  seat  at  the 
new  town  named  in  honor  of  Pretorius.  For  twelve  years  the  colony 
grew  l)y  accretions  of  Boer  iinniigrants.  and  in  January  of  IS-VJ, 
the  republic  was  recognized  hy  Great  Britain  as  an  independent 
state.  This  was  done  at  a  convention  held  on  Sand  Ivivor.  On 
the  12th  of  April,  1877,  the  Transvaal  Republic  was  declared  to  be 
"annexed"  to  Cape  Colony. 


ISO  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

In  18S3  Paul  Kriiger,  already  approaching  his  sixtieth  year, 
was  elected  President  of  the  South  African  Republic.  His  first 
term  extended  from  1SS3  to  1S8S.  His  abilities  were  great  and  his 
courage  unquestionable.  As  a  boy  of  ten.  he  had  accompanied  his 
parents  on  .the  Great  Trek  into  the  Kaffir  wilderness.  In  his 
youth  he  was  a  lion-killer.  In  1S37.  he  stood  in  the  line  and 
looked  into  the  muzzles  of  the  Zulu  guns  as  they  blazed  into  the 
faces  of  his  countrymen  on  Battle  Hill.  After  tlie  victory,  he 
sang  Dutch  psalms  with  the  rest.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  went 
on  the  expedition  against  Durban,  at  which  time  the  Boers  sought 
*to  regain  their  old  seaport.  He  first  met  the  British  at  the  Sand 
River  Convention  in  1852.  His  accession  to  the  Presidency  came 
two  years  after  the  disagreeable  agreement  of  ISSl.  in  which  the 
suzerainty  of  Great  Britain  over  the  foreign  affairs  of  the  repul^lic 
was  recognized  quo  ad  hoc.  Then  came  his  visitations  at  the  capitals 
of  Europe,  and  the  revised  compact  of  1S84. 

The  inrush  to  the  Transvaal  gold  fields  began  after  the  Con- 
vention of  1S84.  The  authorities  of  the  Republic  therefore  claimed 
exclusive  prerogatives  in  determining  the  rights  and  relations  of 
the  incoming  populations.  The  Volksraad  proceeded  to  establish 
harsh  conditions  of  citizenship  and  regulations  for  the  control  of  the 
mining  districts.  But  at  this  juncture,  British  authority  raised  its 
hand.  British  authority  set  up  the  claim  that  the  suzerainty  of  the 
^  Empire  extended  over  the  Transvaal,  and  that,  therefore,  such  ques- 
tions as  citizenship  and  mining  rights  were  determinable  only  by  the 
consent  and  under  the  influence  of  the  Imperial  government. 

The  paiiies  to  the  contention  were,  on  the  one  side,  the  author- 
ities of  the  Boer  Republic  and  all  the  Boers  supporting  their  Presi- 
dent and  the  Raad.    The  other  party  was  composed  of    the   Briti.sh, 


THE  TWO  REPUBLICS  181 

French   and   other  foreigners.     The   latter  were  designated   by  the 
Dutch  as  Uitlanders;  that  is,  Outlanders  or  foreigners. 

The  antagonism  of  Boer  and  foreigner,  however,  was  by  no 
means  limited  to  the  South  African  Republic.  The  two  classes. 
extended  into  the  Orange  Free  State,  and  Natal,  and  Cape  Colony' 
itself.  It  was  this  fact  that,  in  the  speech  of  the  day,  gave  rise  to  the 
term  Afrikander,  by  which  the  Dutch  proudly  designated  every  white 
man  who  was  born  on  African  soil.  The  name  was  applied  particu- 
larly to  all  white  men  of  Dutch  descent.  These  were  of  course  dis- 
tributed throughout  all  Afi'ica  south  of  the  Limpopo  and  the  lower 
Orange.  In  Cape  Colony,  the  Afi'ikanders  were  in  a  majority  at  the 
date  of  the  conventions  of  1881  and  1884.  They  have  continued  in 
the  majority  to  the  present  day.*  They  were  in  a  great  majority  in 
the  Orange  Free  State,  and,  before  the  gold-rush,  in  a  majority  in  the 
Transvaal;  but  they  are  now  decidedly  in  the  minority. 

Throughout  South  Africa,  wherever  an  Afi-ikander  was  found,  a 
man  was  found  who  was  in  an  antagonistic  attitude  to  the  Outlander. 
The  Afrikander  belonged  to  one  party,  and  the  Outlander  to  another 
party.  Out  of  this  situation  sprang  the  Reform  Party  in  the  South 
African  Republic.  Out  of  the  same  conditions  also  sprang,  in  the 
year  1879,  the  Afrikander  Bund,  or,  as  we  should  say,  the  African 
Bond.  This  organization  was  composed  exclusively  of  Afi'ikanders. 
It  had  in  it  something  of  the  strict  construction  and  intense  purpose 
which  characterized  the  "American  Party"  which  flourished  somewhat 
in  the  United  States  from  1852  to  1856. 

The  Afrikander  Bund  not  only  set  itself  in  opposition  to  the 
aggressions  of  the  Outlander  Party,  but  it  went  beyond  the  phase  of 
opposition  and  adopted  the  positive  and  active  policy  of  independence. 

♦The  year  1899. 


isj  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

The  imlepeiulence  sought  for  was  nothing  less  than  the  emancipation 
of  Jill  South  Africa  from  foreign  domination,  and  the  establishment  of 
an  African  United  States.  Nor  may  we  pass  from  the  subject  without 
I  noting,  by  anticipation,  the  great  strength  and  support  which  the 
Boers  of  the  Transvaal  suddenly  discovered  in  the  Afrikander  Bund 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  in  1899.    The  Bund  was  behind  the  Boer. 

The  Outlander  class  in  the  Orange  River  countries,  constantly 
augmented  in  numbers  and  vehemence.  The  elements  composing  it 
were  energetic  and  sometimes  enterprising.  They  were  the  Transvaal 
miners  par  excellence.  Many  became  traders;  for  the  trade  quickly 
follows  the  mine.  Many  new  industries  came  on  in  the  wave  of  out- 
landism. 

Meanwhile  the  Boer  administration  and  the  Boers  themselves 
sought  to  keep  their  seats.  They  sought  to  hold  and  to  exercise  their 
authority.  Their  paucity  of  numbers  might  be  contrasted  with  the 
tremendous  mass  of  humanity  which  heaped  itself  up  at  Johannes- 
burg and  other  gold-producing  centers.  Then  the  mass  assumed  a 
threatening  attitude.  In  the  mass  there  was  much  discontent,  dis- 
affection, opposition  to  Boer  authority,  and  complaints  at  British 
indifference.  Henry  M.  Stanley,  describing  the  condition  as  he  saw 
it  and  heard  it  at  Johannesburg  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  that 
place  in  1897,  two  years  after  the  Jameson  raid,  says : 

"At  Johannesburg,  however,  different  feelings  possessed  us. 
Without  knowing  exactly  why,  we  felt  that  this  population,  once  so 
favored  by  fortune,  so  exultant  and  energetic,  was  in  a  subdued  and 
despondent  mood,  and  wore  a  defeated  and  cowed  air.  When  we  tim- 
idly inquired  as  to  the  cause,  we  found  them  laboring  under  a  sense 
of  wrong,  and  disposed  to  be  querulous  and  recriminatory.  They 
blamed  both  Boers  and  British:  the  whole  civilized  world  and  all  but 


THE  TWO  REPUBLICS  183 

themselves  seemed  to  have  been  unwise  and  unjust.  They  recapitu- 
lated without  an  error  of  fact  the  many  failures  and  shames  of  British 
colonial  policy  in  the  past;  gave  valid  instances  of  their  distrust  of 
the  present  policy;  pointed  to  the  breaches  of  the  Convention  of  1884, 
and  the  manifest  disregard  of  them  by  the  Colonial  Secretary; 
described  at  large  the  conditions  under  which  they  lived,  and 
demanded  to  know  if  the  manner  in  which  tlie  charter  of  their  lib- 
erties was  treated  was  at  all  compatible  with  what  they  had  a  right 
to  expect  under  the  express  stipulations  of  the  Convention.  '  Why,' 
said  they,  'between  Boer  arrogance  and  British  indifference,  every 
condition  of  that  Power  of  Attorney  granted  to  Paul  Kruger  has  been 
disregarded  by  the  Boer,  and  neglected  by  the  British.' " 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  social,  industrial  and  political  ele- 
ments in  the  gold-bearing  districts  of  the  Transvaal  during  the  first 
half  of  the  tenth  decennium.  The  Boer  Burghers  held  their  own,  but 
the  South  African  AduUamites  wanted  representation  in  the  govern- 
ment. This  the  Republican  constitution  forbade,  or  permitted  only 
after  a  tedious  and  rigid  method  of  naturalization. 

Members  of  the  Volksraad  were  divided  into  two  classes.  There 
were  two  Volksraaden,  each  body  being  composed  of  twenty-four 
members.  We  should  call  the  Upper  Raad  a  Senate,  and  the  Lower 
Raad  an  Assembly,  or  House  of  Representatives.  Qualifications 
for  membership  in  these  bodies  were  strict  and  rigorous.  No  one 
might  enter  either  Volksraad  until  he  should  be  thirty  years  of 
age.  He  must  possess  fixed  property  and  be  a  Protestant.  He  must 
never  have  committed  a  criminal  offense.  The  Burghers  who  might 
vote  were  also  divided  into  two  classes.  The  first  class  included  all 
male  white  residents  of  the  Republic,  who  had  been  such  since  the 
29th  of  May,  1876,  and  who  had  taken  part  in  the  wars  of  1881  and 


1S4  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

1894.  11  also  iiKdiuled  such  Burghers'  sons  as  had  reached  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  or  over. 

In  the  second  class  was  included  the  naturalized  male  population 
of  the  Republic  and  the  sons  of  such  who  had  passed  the  age  of  sixteen. 
Naturalization  might  be  gained  after  a  residence  of  two  years,  by 
such  persons  as  would  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  pay  the  fee  of 
two  pounds  sterling.  Burghers  of  the  second  class  might  be  promoted 
to  membership  in  the  first  class  by  a  special  vote  of  the  Volksraad, 
after  the  candidates  had  been  naturalized  citizens  for  a  period  of 
twelve  years.  These  provisions  made  the  way  to  the  right  of  first- 
class  Burgher  suffrage,  a  steep  and  difficult  cliff  to  climb.  A 
foreigner  could  reach  such  right  only  after  a  citizen  residence  of 
fourteen  years. 

In  the  exercise  of  the  suffrage  there  were  also  great  care  and 
strict  construction;  burghers  of  the  first-class  had  a  right  to  vote 
for  members  of  both  Volksraaden;  that  is,  in  effect,  the  Upper  Volks- 
raad was  elected  by  first-class  burghers  only.  The  second-class 
burghers  were  entitled  to  vote  for  members  of  the  Lower  Volks- 
raad only;  with  that  the  political  power  of  such  burghers   ceased. 

Out  of  this  condition  came  a  breach  between  the  Outlanders 
and  the  administration  of  the  Republic.  The  Outlanders  complained 
that  they  were  taxed  without  representation.  They  said  that  they 
were  entitled  to  vote.  They  said  that  the  Boer  constitution  was 
oppressive,  absurd,  mediaeval.  They  said  that  their  rights  were 
disregarded,  their  citizenship  denied,  their  character  depreciated  and 
derided.  They  said  that  they  had  made  the  Transvaal;  that  is,  they 
had  made  it  worth  something;  that  they  had  developed  the  mines; 
that  they  had  built  the  railways;  that  they  had  organized  stock 
companies  and  made  business;  that  they  outnumbered  the  Boers  two 


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THE  TWO  REPUBLICS  '        1S7 

to  one  in  many  places,  and  that  the  government  of  the  majorit}'  by 
the  minority  was  monstrous;  that  even  if  they  succeeded  under  the 
hard  conditions  in  electing  one  of  their  own  number  to  a  seat  in 
the  Lower  Raad,  he,  their  representative,  could  not  speak  Dutch, 
while  English,  the  language  of  civilization  and  progress,  was  not 
permitted. 

In  the  present  case,  the  leading  Outlanders,  having  their 
center  at  Johannesburg,  got  together  and  organized  the  Reform 
Party!  It  was  the  object  of  this  party  to  get  themselves  emanci- 
pated from  the  control  of  the  Transvaal  Republic.  They  would  not 
pay  taxes  unless  they  could  vote.  They  would  not  build  railways 
for  other  people. 

In  the  city  of  Johannesburg,  such  was  the  situation  in  1893-94. 
And  the  other  mining  cities  were  even  as  Johannesburg,  but  not 
so  great.  The  Reform  Party  made  itself  known  on  the  streets. 
The  Reform  Party  proclaimed  insurrection  against  the  existing  order. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE    JAMESON    RAID 


On  the  26th  of  December,  1895,  an  important  manifesto  was 
issued  by  the  National  Reform  Union  at  Johannesburg,  addressed  to 
the  people  of  the  Transvaal,  setting  forth  the  reforms  demanded  by 
the  Uitlanders.    These  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

1.  The  establishment  of  the  republic  as  a  true  republic  under 
a  constitution  approved  by  the  whole  nation. 

2.  An  amicable  franchise  and  fair  representation. 

3.  The  equality  of  the  Dutch  and  English  languages. 

4.  The  responsibility  to  the  legislature  of  the  heads  of  the 
chief  departments. 

5.  The  removal  of  all  religious  disabilities. 

6.  The  establishment  of  independent  courts  of  justice,  with  the 
security  of  adequate  pay  for  the  judges  thereof. 

7.  Liberal  education. 

8.  An  efiBcient  civil  service  with  adequate  pay  and  the  pension 
system. 

9.  Free  trade  in  African  products. 

This  manifesto  closed  with  the  following  significant  words : 
"We  shall  expect  an  answer  in  plain  terms,  according  to  your 
deliberate  judgment,  at  the  meeting  to  be  held  on  January  6." 

The  manifesto  was  followed  three  days  after  its  date  by  this 
telegram  from  Mr.  Chamberlain,  the  Secretary  of  State  for  the 
Colonies,  addressed  to  Sir  Hercules  Robinson,  Her  Majesty's  High 
Commissioner  for  South  Africa: 


1()0  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"Strictly  Confidential— It  has  been  suggested,  although  I  do 
not  think  it  probable,  that  an  endeavor  might  be  made  to  force 
matters  at  Johannesburg  to  a  head  by  some  one  in  the  service  of 
the  Company  advancing  from  Bechuanaland  Protectorate  with  police. 
Were  this  to  be  done,  I  should  have  to  take  action  under  Articles 
22  and  8  of  the  Charter.  Therefore,  if  necessary,  but  not  otherwise, 
remind  Rhodes  of  these  Articles,  and  intimate  to  him,  that  in  your 
opinion,  he  would  not  have  my  support,  and  point  out  the 
consequences  which  would  follow." 

On  the  following  day,  December  30,  Sir  Hercules  Robinson  cabled 
to  Mr.  Chamberlain  as  follows: 

"I  learn  on  good  authority  movement  at  Johannesburg  has 
collapsed.  Internal  divisions  have  led  to  the  complete  collapse  of 
the  movement,  and  leaders  of  the  National  Union  will  now  probably 
make  the  best  terms  they  can  with  President  Kruger." 

A  few  hours  later,  the  Secretary  for  the  Colonies  cabled  to  Mr. 
Robinson  : 

"  Your  telegram  received.  Are  you  sure  Jameson  has  not  moved 
in  consequence  of  collapse  ?    See  my  telegram  of  yesterday." 

Within  the  same  hour  that  this  message  was  sent,  Mr.  Chamberlain 
received  the  following  from  the  High  Commissioner : 

"Information  reached  me  this  morning  that  Dr.  Jameson  was 
preparing  to  start  yesterday  evening  for  Johannesburg  with  a  force 
of  police.  I  telegraphed  at  once  as  follows:  'To  the  Resident 
Commissioner  in  the  Bechuanaland  Protection.  There  is  a  rumor 
here  that  Dr.  Jameson  has  entered  the  Transvaal  with  an  armed  force. 
Is  this  correct  ?  If  it  is,  send  a  special  messenger  on  a  fast  horse 
directing  him  to  return  at  once.  A  copy  of  this  telegram  shall  be 
sent  to  the  oflBcers  with  him,  and  they  shall  be  told  Her  Majesty's 


THE  JAMESON  RAID  191 

government  repudiate  this  violation  of  the  territory  of  a  friendly 
state,  and  that  they  are  rendering  themselves  liable  to  severe 
penalties.'  If  I  hear  from  Newton  that  the  police  have  entered 
the  Transvaal  shall  I  inform  President  Kruger  that  Her  Majesty's 
government  repudiate  Jameson's  action  ? " 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  signs  were  ominous  of  serious  trouble 
and  the  wire  under  the  ocean  throbbed  with  the  important  messages 
flashing  back  and  forth.    Momentous  events  were  in  the  air. 

On  the  same  day  of  the  transmission  of  the  last  despatches 
Sir  Hercules  Robinson  telegraphed  the  Colonial  Secretary : 

"1  have  received  the  following  from  the  British  Agency  in  the 
South  African  Republic  :  30th  of  December.  Very  urgent. 
President  of  South  African  Republic  sent  for  me,  and  the  General 
then  read  to  us  a  telegram  from  Landdrost  of  Zeerust,  that  a 
number  of  British  troops  have  entered  the  Transvaal  Republic  from 
Mafeking  and  cut  the  wire,  and  are  now  on  the  march  to  Johan- 
nesburg. I  assured  the  President  that  I  could  not  believe  the  force 
consisted  of  British  troops.  The  General  then  said  they  may  be 
Mashonaland  or  Bechuanaland  police,  but  he  believed  the  informa- 
tion that  a  force  had  entered  the  state,  and  he  said  he  would  take 
immediate  steps  to  stop  their  progress.  His  Honor  requested  me  to 
ask  your  Excellency  whether  this  force  is  composed  of  Britisli  troops 
or  police  under  your  Excellency's  control,  or  whether  you  have  any 
information  of  the  movement.  I  replied  that  I  had  heard  a  rumor 
to  the  same  effect,  and  have  telegraphed  to  inquire,  adding  that, 
if  true,  the  step  had  been  taken  without  my  authority  or  cognizance, 
and  that  I  have  repudiated  the  act  and  ordered  the  force  to  return, 
immediately." 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  Mr.  Chamberlain  telegraphed 


]\Y2  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

to  Mr.  liohiiison:  "  In  reply  to  your  telegrams  relative  to  the  situation 
in  South  African  Republic,  your  action  is  cordially  approved.  I  pre- 
sume that  Mr.  C.  J.  Rhodes  will  cooperate  with  you  in  recalling 
Administrator  of  Matabeleland.  Keep  me  informed  fully  of  political 
situation  in  all  its  respects.  It  is  not  clearly  understood  here.  Leave 
no  stone  unturned  to  prevent  mischief." 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year,  Sir  Hercules  Robinson  cabled  that 
in  consequence  of  a  telegram  from  the  British  Agent  in  the  Trans- 
vaal, he  had  ordered  the  Agent  to  send  without  delay  a  thoroughly 
competent  mounted  express  with  this  message  to  Dr.  Jameson: 
"Her  Majesty's  Government  entirely  disapprove  your  conduct  in 
invading  the  Transvaal  with  armed  force.  Your  action  has  been 
repudiated.  You  are  ordered  to  return  at  once  from  the  country, 
and  will  be  held  personally  responsible  for  the  consequences  of  your 
unauthorized  and  most  improper  proceeding." 

On  December  29,  which  was  Sunday,  Dr.  Jameson,  accompanied 
by  Sir  John  Willoughby,  the  Commandant  of  the  Chartered  Com- 
pany's forces,  rode  out  from  Mafeking  with  a  force  whose  numbers 
have  been  given  at  from  400  to  600  men.  They  took  with  them 
three  Witworth  and  eight  Maxim  guns.  Their  first  act  was  to  cut 
the  telegraph  wires  and  they  had  hardly  crossed  the  border  into  the 
Transvaal,  when  they  were  met  by  an  official  of  the  Republic,  who 
warned  them  to  withdraw  at  once.  Dr.  Jameson's  written  reply 
was:  "  Sir:  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  protest  of  above  date,  and  have 
to  inform  you  that  I  intend  proceeding  with  my  original  plan, 
which  had  no  hostile  intentions  against  the  people  of  the  Trans- 
vaal, but  we  are  here  in  reply  to  an  invitation  from  the  principal 
residents  of  the  Rand  to  assist  them  in  their  demand  for  justice 
and  the    ordinary    rights    of    every    citizen    of    a    civilized    state." 


THE  JAMESON  RAID  193 

It  will  be  remembered  that  a  messenger  mounted  on  a  fleet 
horse  was  sent  with  an  order  of  recall  to  Jameson,  who  was  over- 
taken near  the  Elan  River.  After  reading  the  order,  Jameson 
coolly  replied  to  the  messenger  that  he  might  report  that  the  order 
had  been  received  and  would  be  attended  to,  and  then  the  raiders 
rode  on. 

No  sooner  was  news  received  of  the  crossing  of  the  frontier  by 
the  raiders  than  the  burghers,  who  had  been  commandeered,  made 
haste  to  intercept  the  party,  which  was  encountered  about  fifteen 
miles  out  of  Johannesburg,  where  the  fighting  opened  a  little  past 
midnight  on  the  first  day  of  the  new  year. 

Jameson  and  his  men  were  daring,  but  no  more  so  than  the 
Boers,  among  whom  were  some  of  the  best  rifle  shots  found  any- 
where. They  are  cool,  brave  and  almost  fanatical  in  their  devo- 
tion to  their  country,  and  whatever  policy  is  fixed  upon  by  the 
President  and  his  associates. 

Full  of  self-confidence,  the  raiders  rode  onward  until  they  came 
in  sight  of  Krugersdorp,  where  a  halt  was  made  and  notice  given 
that  the  women  and  children  must  leave  the  place  at  once,  as 
Jameson  intended  to  take  possession  of  it.  In  giving  this  notifica- 
tion, however,  the  leader  of  the  invaders,  to  use  a  homely  expres- 
sion, counted  his  chickens  before  they  were  hatched.  In  order  to 
enter  the  town,  the  horsemen  had  to  ride  directly  between  two 
kopjes,  as  they  are  termed,  affording  a  powerful  position  to  the 
Boers,  who  had  taken  possession  of  them. 

When  the  raiders  came  in  sight,  the  defenders  adopted  the 
tactics  often  used  by  the  Kaffirs,  and  which  is  a  favorite  one 
among  American  Indians.  Small  bodies  presented  themselves  as 
disputants   of    the   advance,   and    after   a   feeble   resistance,  began 


104  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

falliii-;  hack.  Thv'w  object  was  to  lure  Jameson  and  his  men  in 
front  of  the  strong  position  where  a  numerous  force  of  riflemen 
wore  eagerly  waiting  for  them  to  come  within  range.  In  other 
words.  th(^  Boers  set  a  trap  for  the  invaders  into  which  they   rode. 

Before  he  suspected  anything  of  that  nature,  Jameson  found 
the  lire  too  hot  to  be  borne,  and  he  contented  himself  with  throw- 
ing a  few  shells  into  the  town,  when  he  fell  back  and  took  the 
road  leading  through  Randfontein,  past  Brink's  farmhouse  at 
Dornkop.  Two  troopers  were  killed  there,  but  the  Boers  adopted 
the  same  tactics  as  before,  reserving  their  real  attack  until  the 
invaders  came  within  reach  of  their  full  force.  On  the  other  side 
of  Dornkop,  the  defenders  held  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  when 
darkness  descended,  Jameson  found  himself  in  a  most  critical  posi- 
tion, for,  although  he  was  on  a  small  kopje,  the  Boers  commanded 
the  point  from  every  side. 

At  the  time  Jameson  first  appeared,  the  number  of  Boers  con- 
fronting him  was  about  1,200  or  1,500,  but  all  through  the  night 
others  continued  to  join  them  until  their  force  was  tripled.  All  of 
these  splendid  marksmen  were  mounted  and  armed  with  Martini- 
Henry  rifles,  which  they  knew  how  to  use  with  wonderful  effec- 
tiveness. They  were  threatened  by  a  grave  danger  for  a  time, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  they  had  expended  so  much  ammunition  in 
resisting  the  attack  on  Krugersdorp,  that  little  remained,  but  special 
trains  were  run  out  from  Johannesburg  which  fully  made  up  the 
hick. 

The  Uitlanders  blew  up  the  line  between  Langlaate  and  Krugers- 
dorp, but  foolishly  waited  until  after  the  supplies  had  gone  past, 
so  that  not  the  slightest  help  was  given  to  Jameson.  Fully  com- 
prehending the  danger  of  his  position,  Jameson  continued  shelling 


THE  JAMESON  RAID  197 

that  of  the  Boers.  He  used  electric  lights  to  locate  the  enemj',  but 
they  were  effectually  hidden  by  the  boulders  and  rising  ground, 
and  received  scarcely  an  injury. 

Thus  it  came  about  that,  when  morning  dawned,  the  raiders 
found  they  were  caught  in  a  trap,  froni  which  their  only  escape  was 
by  breaking  through  the  lines  of  the  Boer  riflemen.  With  great 
gallantry  Major  Coventry  led  a  charge  against  the  kopjes,  but  he 
was  defeated  by  the  peculiar  action  of  the  Boers,  who  made  no 
attempt  to  shoot  the  riders,  but  killed  their  horses.  What  they 
wished  was  to  make  the  men  prisoners  and  they  took  this  means 
of  doing  so.  The  unharmed  riders,  being  suddenly  dismounted, 
had  no  other  recourse  than  to  scramble  among  the  reeds  and 
behind  anything  that  offered  a  screen,  for  in  no  other  way  could 
they  escape,  even  for  a  short  time.  Thus  the  fighting  went  on 
for  four  hours  or  more. 

The  time  came  when  the  leader  saw  that  it  was  all  up  with 

him,  and    early  in    the    forenoon    he    hoisted    the  white  flag.      The 

Boers  seemed  to  distrust  the  flag  of  truce,  but  when    the    raiders 

piled    their   arms    in    the    middle  of    a    square    and   lined    up,  they 

rushed  forward  and   took   the  whole  force  prisoners,  including,   of 

course,  their  arms  and  ammunition.     A  good  many  men  had  been 

wounded,  but,  as  has   been   shown  repeatedly  in  the  last  war,  the 

Boers  treated  the  unfortunate  ones  humanely.     Brink's  farm  house. 

as  it  was   known,  was  turned   into  a  hospital  to  which  the  injured 

of  both  sides  were  carried,  where  immediate  attention  was  given 

them,  while  the  prisoners  were  escorted  to  Krugersdorp.    It  is  said 

most  of  them  were  utterly  exhausted,  and  so  famishing  that  they 

were  on  the  point  of  fainting,  which  they  would  have  done  but  for 

the  prompt  relief  given  by  their  captors. 
11 


198  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

When  the  scene  of  the  battle  was  inspected  and  the  dead  of 
both  sides  buried,  it  was  observed  that  the  destruction  of  the 
horses  of  the  raiders  had  been  particularly  severe.  The  assertion 
was  often  made  that  the  Boers  had  lost  a  good  deal  of  their  skill 
in  marksmanship,  owing  to  the  killing  off  of  the  big  game  in  their 
country;  but,  though  they  may  have  lacked  the  astonishing  expert- 
ness  of  their  fathers,  it  was  indisputable  that  they  were  still 
splendid   shots. 

There  will  never  be  any  question  as  to  the  great  bravery 
shown  by  Dr.  Jameson  and  his  followers  in  attempting  to  make 
this  raid  into  the  Transvaal.  Dr.  Jameson  w^ell  knew  the  char- 
acter of  the  enemy  to  which  he  would  be  opposed,  but  the  profound 
belief  in  his  own  powers,  which  feeling  animates  almost  every  Eng- 
lishman, caused  him  to  scorn  the  difficulties  of  the  situation  and 
to  move  forward  in  an  almost  hopeless  enterprise.  Perhaps  there 
was  a  deeper  design  in  the  raid  than  history  will  ever  be  able  to 
show  conclusively,  but,  as  that  may  be,  it  required  a  bold  spirit  to 
carry  out  this  design,  and  no  better  selection  could  have  been 
made  than  that  of  Dr.  Jameson. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  plans  of  Jameson  were  entirely 
disarranged  when  the  reinforcements  of  Uitlanders  in  Johannesburg 
failed  to  come  to  his  assistance.  Jameson  had  been  promised  2,000 
men  from  Johannesburg,  but,  owing  to  the  activity  of  President 
Kruger,  the  Uitlanders  were  unable  to  carry  out  their  part  in  the 
program.  Hundreds  of  armed  burghers  poured  into  Johannesburg, 
and  an  outbreak  on  the  part  of  the  Uitlanders  would  have  been 
the  signal  for  a  general  slaughter.  Kruger  quickly  served  warning 
on  the  "Defense  Committee"  in  Johannesburg,  and  this  notice  was 
emphasized  by  a  display  of  force  which  demonstrated  the  hopelessness 


THE  JAMESON  RAID  199 

of  any  attempt  to  go  to  the  aid  of  Jameson.  As  a  result 
Jameson  was  informed  by  the  Defense  Committee  that  an  armistice 
had  been  concluded  with  President  Kruger  until  the  high  com- 
missioner visited  Pretoria,  and,  consequently,  no  help  could  be  given 
to  him. 

Dr.  Jameson's  men  were  brought  to  Pretoria.  The  burghers 
were  greatly  excited  over  the  affair,  and,  had  not  judicious  counsels 
prevailed,  the  prisoners  might  have  been  harshly  treated  by  the 
enraged  farmers. 

As  soon  as  the  news  reached  England  Mr.  Chamberlain  cabled 
to  President  Kruger  asking  him  to  show  magnanimity  in  the  hour 
of  victory.  Oom  Paul  replied  that  the  case  of  the  prisoners  would 
be  decided  strictly  according  to  the  traditions  of  the  Republic,  and 
that  there  would  be  no  punishment  which  was  not  in  accordance 
with  the  law.  The  case,  therefore,  was  referred  to  the  judges  of 
the  High  Court  of  the  South  African  Republic  and  they  sentenced 
Dr.  Jameson  and  his  associates  to  be  shot.  President  Kruger  decided, 
however,  that  in  presenting  the  Transvaal  side  of  the  case  to  the 
world,  that  magnanimity  would  count  for  much  in  gaining  the 
sympathy  of  otlier  nations,  and  he  declined  to  allow  the  sentence 
to  be  carried  out.  He  refused  to  sign  the  death  waiTant  and 
ordered  the  prisoners  turned  over  to  Her  Majesty's  Government  on 
the  Natal  frontier,  as  soon  as  Johannesburg  was  disarmed. 

It  has  been  stated  that  one  of  the  conditions  insisted  upon  by 
President  Kruger  for  the  release  of  the  raiders  was  that  Johannes- 
burg should  be  disarmed.  The  city  was  notified  on  the  6th  of 
January,  1896,  that  no  discussion  of  grievances  would  be  permitted 
until  such  disarmament  was  made.  This  was  the  ultimatum,  and, 
to  render  it  effective,  the  English  agent.  Sir  Jacobus  De  Wet,  was 


200  TlII^:  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

sent  with  a  message  by  the  High  Commissioner  from  Pretoria, 
which  was  thus  delivered: 

"Men  of  Johannesburg,  friends,  and  fellow  subjects  of  Her 
Most  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen,  I  regret  I  am  before  you  under 
such  painful  circumstances.  I  deeply  sympathize  with  your  griev- 
ances, but  circumstances  have  so  changed  that  I  have  to  ask  you 
to  do  a  thing  which  would,  perhaps,  pain  many  a  heart." 

He  begged  them  as  men  to  use  their  judgment,  and  not  to 
allow  their  English  blood,  English  courage  and  English  valor  to 
override  their  judgment.  Every  human  being,  unbiased  in  mind, 
believed  in  pluck,  perseverance  and  determination  in  Englishmen. 
(Loud  cheers.)  He  had  to  announce  that  Jameson  and  his  brave 
fellows — misguided,  but  brave — (tremendous  cheering) — were  pris- 
oners. A  terrible  mistake  was  undoubtedly  made  by  some  one, 
which  had  placed  them  in  a  most  awkward  and  painful  position, 
and  he  rejoiced  to  announce  that  Jameson  and  his  men  were  to  be 
honorably  handed  over  to  Her  Majesty's  Government — (loud 
cheers) — and  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of  Great  Brit- 
ain, but  one  condition  was  that  the  men  of  Johannesburg  should 
lay  down  their  arms.  ("We  will  not,"  and  prolonged  groans.)  As 
their  friend  and  loyal  subject  and  servant  of  the  Queen,  from  the 
time  of  his  manhood  to  the  present  moment,  he  appealed  to  them 
as  Britons  not  to  act  idiotically,  not  to  refuse  to  give  up  their  arms. 
(Cries  of  "Who  to?")  To-day  was  not  the  time  to  let  feelings  of 
enthusiasm  carry  them  away.  It  was  the  time  to  be  guided  by 
judgment  and  counsel,  and  to  let  these  prevail  over  national  senti- 
ment. He  was  expressing  the  wishes  of  the  High  Commissioner, 
who,  at  his  request,  allowed  him  to  come,  and,  if  possible,  avert 
bloodshed.     He  appealed  to  the  men  of  Johannesburg  to  set  aside 


THE  JAMESON  RAID  201 

the  national  feelings  by  which  they  were  fired.  They  might  fight 
bravely  like  lions,  but  he  would  tell  them  it  was  utterly  impossible 
for  the  men  in  Johannesburg  to  hold  their  position.  (Dissent.)  If 
they  fought,  with  all  their  pluck  and  determination,  they  would 
have  to  die.  (Cries  of  "  Never.")  If  they  did  not  care  for  their 
own  lives,  as  men  with  brave  hearts  did  not,  let  them  consider 
women  and  children  —  (cheers) — and  many  other  innocent  people 
who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  movement.  Let  them  consider  the 
position  of  this  town,  which  might  be  in  ashes  if  Johannesburg 
persevered  in  the  present  course.  He  put  it,  could  they  by  all  their 
pluck  and  bravery  hold  this  place?  They  would  be  starved  out; 
they  would  perish  from  famine  and  thirst.  He  was  in  sympathy 
with  the  men  of  Johannesburg,  but  begged  and  besought  them  as 
a  fellow-subject,  and  as  representative  of  the  Queen  on  behalf  of 
the  High  Commissioner,  to  consider  their  position.  They  were  not 
surrendering  through  cowardice.  There  was  no  disgrace  in  that. 
(Cries  of  "What  are  the  conditions?")  Well  the  Government  of  the 
Transvaal  was  disposed  to  be  lenient. 

It  is  worth  bearing  in  mind  that  the  President  of  the  Transvaal 
Republic  voluntarily  surrendered  to  a  representative  of  the  Queen, 
every  man  who  had  taken  part  in  the  invasion  of  his  country. 
Before  this  release  took  place,  the  prisoners  drew  up  a  memorial 
to  President  Kruger,  thanking  the  government  and  officials  with 
whom  they  had  been  brought  in  contact  during  tlieir  imprison- 
ment, for  the  great  kindness  shown  them  throughout  their  incar- 
ceration. 

And  as  to  how  England  punished  these  breakers  of  her  laws, 
that  is  another  story.  On  June  11th,  Jameson  and  his  leading 
associates   were  brought  before  an   adjourned  session   of  the  Bow 


202  THE  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Street  Police  Court,  London,  charged  with  a  violation  of  the 
Foreign  Enlistment  Act   by   making   a   raid   into   a   friendly   state. 

The  prisoners  were  fifteen  in  number,  and,  as  they  entered  the 
court  room,  with  Jameson  at  the  head,  he  was  the  only  one  who 
showed  an  appreciation  of  the  gravity  of  the  situation  in  which 
they  were  placed.  He  was  grave  and  thoughtful  all  through  the 
hearing,  while  the  others  smiled,  nodded  to  acquaintances  in  the 
court  room,  and  seemed  to  look  upon  the  occasion  as  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity to  place  themselves  on  exhibition  before  their  admiring 
countrymen.  A  correspondent  thus  sketches  the  appearance  of 
the  prisoners: 

"Jameson  has  an  interesting,  and,  by  no  means,  a  bad  face, 
though  not  as  strong  as  one  would  expect.  His  eyes  are  fine — 
wide  apart  and  rather  pathetic— and  he  has  a  good  big  forehead, 
perhaps  a  little  exaggerated  by  baldness,  but  his  mouth  and  chin 
do  not  look  unusually  positive.  He  wears  a  brown  mustache, 
trimmed  close,  and  in  age  appears  to  be  about  forty.  His  eye 
is  clear  and  his  color  good,  but  fatigue  and  care  were  evident 
from  his  whole  appearance  and  demeanor.  In  physique  he  is  thick 
set  and  short — quite  the  least  imposing  by  far  of  the  party;  but 
he  has  the  only  intellectual  face  among  them.  Henry  Frederick 
White,  one  of  the  leaders,  is  the  handsomest  of  them,  a  tall,  mili- 
tary man,  with  an  air  of  good  breeding  and  distinction.  The  Hon. 
Robert  White,  is  quite  vacant  looking,  as  is  also  Captain  Coventry. 
Colonel  Grey  is  also  handsome,  in  a  way,  but  heavy;  Sir  John 
Willoughby  looks  intelligent  enough,  in  all  conscience,  but  his  face 
is  cynical  and  repellent." 

Sir  Richard  Webster  represented  the  Crown,  and  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  barristers  in  England  were  arrayed  on  the  side 


THE  JAMESON  RAID  203 

of  the  defense.  The  depositions  of  the  witnesses  were  taken  down 
in  long-hand  to  be  sworn  to  and  signed  then  and  there.  This 
made  the  proceedings  tedious,  but  many  stirring  episodes  of  the 
raid  were  brought  out,  and  one  especially  was  listened  to  with 
keen  interest.  That  was  the  testimony  of  a  Dutch  lieutenant,  told 
simply  and  modestly.  He  had  been  under  arrest  by  the  Jameson 
column,  but  afterward  took  part  in  the  first  skirmish  near  Krugers- 
dorp.  He  was  met  on  patrol  duty,  his  horse  taken  away  and  he 
was  disarmed,  whereupon  he  asked  his  captor  why  they  did  that, 
"when  no  war  had  been  declared  or  anything."  When  he  was 
asked  how  many  men  he  had  he  expressed  surprise  that  they 
should  expect  him  to  answer  such  a  question.  His  horse  was 
finally  restored  to  him  and  he  was  left  behind  on  a  two  hours' 
parole  to  stay  where  he  was.  He  kept  his  parole  and  at  its  termi- 
nation galloped  off  with  such  speed  that  he  rejoined  the  Boers  and 
took  charge  of  his  battery  before  the  raiders  arrived. 

The  magistrate  discharged  nine  of  the  accused,  but  held  Jame- 
son, the  two  Whites,  Coventry,  Willoughby  and  Grey  under  £2,000 
bail  each. 

The  grand  jury  found  bills  of  indictment  against  the  prisoners, 
whose  trial  took  place  in  the  latter  part  of  the  following  month. 
There  could  not  have  been  a  more  inopportune  date  for  them,  for 
on  the  same  day,  the  report  of  the  investigating  committee  of  the 
House  of  Assembly  of  Cape  Colony  was  given  out.  It  was  an  act 
of  high  moral  courage  on  the  part  of  the  Cape  Parliament  to 
censure  Rhodes,  but  the  great  British  leader  was  reproved  for  his 
part  in  the  affair. 

In  view  of  the  remarkable  character  of  the  case,  the  attorney 
general  demanded  a  trial  at  bar  before  the  Queen's  Bench  Division 


201  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

,)f  ili(>  lli<xli  Court  of  Justice,  which  is  the  most  august  tribunal  in 
Knghiud.  This  demand  was  granted  and  the  Lord  Chief  Justice 
and  the  two  senior  puisne  judges  of  the  Queen's  Bench  Division 
were  assigned  to  the  trial.  By  taking  this  course,  an  authoritative 
decision  would  be  obtained  on  the  difficult  law  points  that  were 
certain  to  arise. 

The  Lord  Chief  Justice  is  well  known  and  much  liked  in  this 
country.  Lord  Russell,  of  Killowen,  as  he  was  styled,  was,  until 
his  promotion,  the  leading  English  advocate,  a  Catholic  Irishman; 
the  champion  of  Parnell;  the  English  counsel  before  the  Behring 
Sea  Tribunal,  and  one  of  the  greatest  legal  minds  of  the  century. 
Associated  with  him  w^ere  the  hardly  less  distinguished  Baron 
Pollock,  the  foremost  living  writer  upon  English  law,  and  Mr. 
Justice  Hawkins,  the  eminent  jurist.  The  prosecution  and  defense 
were  represented  by  some  of  the  most  profound  legal  talent  of 
the  kingdom. 

The  trial  opened  July  20th,  when  Sir  Edward  Clark  consumed 
the  day  in  support  of  a  motion  to  quash  the  indictments.  It  would 
be  uninteresting  to  give  the  technical  points  of  his  argument,  but 
he  maintained  that  the  indictments  did  not  allege  those  acts  relat- 
ing to  the  Enlistment  Act  with  sufficient  particularity.  The  motion 
was  denied,  and  on  the  second  day  of  the  trial  the  jury  was 
impaneled  and  sworn. 

The  attorney's  opening  was  masterful.  He  recited  the  various 
acts  in  the  order  of  their  proposed  proof,  adding  that  they  were 
practically  admitted  by  the  defense,  except  as  to  the  construction 
tliat  was  to  be  put  upon  them.  He  made  clear  the  necessity  for  a 
statute  forbidding  expeditions  against  a  friendly  state,  and,  in  con- 
clusion, urged  that  it  "was  all  the  more   incumbent   upon   persons 


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THE  JAMESON  RAID  207 

who,  like  the  defendants,  were  in  the  responsible  position  of  de  facto 
governors  of  the  country — magistrates  and  administrators  as  some 
of  them  were — that  they  should  obey  and  enforce  the  provisions 
of  this  statute,"  instead  of  combining  to  violate  it. 

The  attorney  general  next  brought  forward  his  proofs,  whicli 
occupied  three  days,  there  being  no  obstructive  interruptions  and 
little  cross-examination.  This  w^as  the  most  tedious  part  of  the 
trial,  for  the  proofs  were  largely  documentary,  and  were  devoted 
mainly  to  establishing  the  fact  that  in  1895  the  South  African 
Republic  w^as  a  friendly  state,  and  that  Mafeking  and  Pitsani  were 
places  W'ithin  the  scope  of  the  Foreign  Enlistment  Act. 

It  is  always  interesting  to  observe  the  attempts  of  skillful 
counsel  to  make  out  a  good  case  for  their  clients  when  it  is  an 
exceedingly  bad  one.  The  first  motion  of  the  defense  was  to  dismiss, 
on  the  ground  that  the  prosecution  had  failed  to  prove  that  the 
Foreign  Enlistment  Act  was  in  force  either  at  Mafeking  or  Pitsani, 
the  two  places  from  w^hich  the  expedition  started.  This  motion 
was  promptly  denied,  on  the  ground  that  the  Act  had  been  in 
force  at  Mafeking,  and  that,  as  all  the  defendants  had  been 
concerned  in  the  fitting  out  of  the  expedition,  it  was  immaterial 
whether  the  Act  had  been  in  force  in  Pitsani  or  not.  By  way  of 
precaution  the  latter  question  was  afterward  put  to  the  jury  and 
answered  affirmatively. 

The  English  law  did  not  permit  the  defendants  to  testify  m 
their  behalf,  but  no  hardship  was  thereby  wrought,  since  the  facts 
put  in  evidence  by  the  Crown  w^ere  incapable  of  rebuttal.  Conse- 
quently, the  defense  made  no  attempt  to  form  a  case,  but  sought 
to  modify  the  harshness  of  the  established  facts,  and  tlieir  method 
was  an  ingenious  one. 


20S  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

The  charge  of  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  to  the  jury  was  a  crush- 
ing one  and  left  them  no  loophole  of  escape  from  their  duty,  no 
matter  how  distasteful  it  was  to  them.  He  opened  with  the  declara- 
tion that  "in  most  criminal  charges  the  consequences  of  the  offense 
usually  end  with  *****  the  acts  that  constitute  the  crime, 
but  the  consequences  of  the  offense  brought  before  them  no  one 
could  foresee."  The  charges  were  uncontroverted  and  notorious. 
He  scathingly  denounced  the  argument  of  the  defense  that  the 
mission  of  the  raiders  was  that  of  rescuers  or  that  they  were 
evangelists  of  reform.  "The  expedition  was  a  filibustering  raid, 
even  if  it  was  not  aimed  at  overthrowing  the  republic,  or  was 
prompted  by  philanthropic  and  humane  motives,  or  aimed  at  secur- 
ing some  reform  of  the  law%  and  whether  it  proceeded  by  a  show 
of  force  or  actual  force.  If  these  things  were  done  by  authority 
of  the  Queen,  it  would  be  an  act  of  war." 

The  learned  judge  then  showed  that  the  Act  was  effective  to 
enforce  a  neutrality  not  secured  by  the  law  of  any  other  country. 
Henceforth,  it  w^as  a  violation  of  the  Act  to  fit  out  on  British  soil 
any  expedition  against  any  state,  no  matter  whether  it  started  or 
not;  nor  whether  its  promoters  were  on  British  soil  while  organizing 
it;  nor  whether  its  members  took  employment  in  it  without 
responsibility  for  its  organization. 

It  was  impossible  for  the  jury  to  do  otherwise  than  pronounce 
the  prisoners  guilty,  and  their  sentences  were  as  follows:  Dr. 
Jameson,  fifteen  months'  imprisonment;  Sir  John  Willoughby,  ten 
months;  Hon.  Robert  White,  seven;  Col.  Grey,  Col.  Henry  White 
and  Major  Coventry,  five  each,  the  imprisonment  to  be  without 
hard  labor;  l)ut  the  sentence  forfeited  all  the  prisoners'  royal 
commissions.  ^ 


CHAPTER  XII 


LEADERS    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 


The  development  of  new  countries  always  brings  to  the  front 
men  naturally  fitted  to  take  a  place  above  their  fellowmen.  South 
Africa  is  no  exception.  Times  of  crises  only  accentuate  the  ability 
and  genius  of  these  leaders  who  have  seized  conditions  to  make 
themselves  forces  of  powder  and  influence  in  the  world.  The  British 
and  the  Boers  both  have  produced  men  in  South  Africa  who  must 
be  recognized  in  history  as  potent  instruments  in  the  restoration 
of  the  Dark  Continent  to  the  light  of  civilization.  Men,  as  nations, 
may  clash,  and  yet  both  be  right  from  their  own  point  of  view. 
The  English  have  maintained  that  their  sovereignty  in  South  Africa 
would  give  the  Republics  a  progress  and  advancement  which  would 
forward  them  one  hundred  years.  The  Boers  stolidly  maintain  that 
progress  shall  be  as  it  moves  with  the  Republics,  and  not  by  the 
forced  draught  of  English  enterprise  and  domination.  Both  Dutch 
and  English,  whatever  may  be  their  motives,  have  made  history 
in  South  Africa,  and  time  will  probably  indorse  the  work  of  both 
as  good  and  of  benefit  to  mankind. 

The  Dutch  have  produced  no  greater  leader  than  "Oom"  Paul 
Kruger,  President  of  the  South  African  Republic.  Whatever  may 
be  the  justice  of  the  contentions  bet^veen  the  British  and  the 
Dutch,  all  are  interested  in  this  grim,  pUicid  old  ma:^  who,  fight- 
ing for  what  he  believes  to  be  right,  has  impressed  the  world  by 
the  simplicity  of  his  character,  and  yet  the  intellectual  ability,  with 

(209) 


•J  10  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

wliicli  ho  is  guidinpj  his  beloved  Republic  through  the  storms  and 
stress  of  ii  l)ittcr  war. 

Stephanus  Johannes  Paulus  Kruger  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able men  of  the  times.  Of  him  Prince  Bismarck  said:  "He  is  the 
greatest  natural  diplomat  living." 

The  first  look  at  President  Kruger  causes  a  smile  on  the  part  of 
a  stranger,  for  a  homelier  man  in  dress  and  appearance,  it  is  hard 
to  conceive.  He  wears  a  billycock  hat  perched  on  his  head,  has 
long  dangling  gray  hair,  a  heavy  face,  flabby  cheeks,  broad  flat  nose, 
small  eyes,  hidden  by  the  pulpy  rings  beneath  when  he  laughs,  and 
shaded  by  brows  whose  coarse  hair  is  half  an  inch  long.  His  mouth 
is  misshapen,  one  side  being  drawn  down  from  the  continual  use 
of  a  pipe,  for  he  is  an  inveterate  smoker,  and  his  unprepossessing 
countenance  is  surrounded  by  a  fringe  of  scraggly  white  w^hiskers. 
His  long,  heavy  body  is  perched  upon  a  pair  of  thin,  weak  limbs, 
his  baggy  coat  is  too  small  to  be  comfortably  buttoned  in  front, 
and  there  is  always  a  yawning  chasm  between  the  bottom  of  his 
trousers  and  the  tops  of  his  shoes. 

Oom  Paul  is  a  devout  Christian  and  loves  everybody  except- 
ing the  English,  whom  he  hates  with  an  intensity  comparable  only 
with  that  which  is  said  to  stir  the  devil  at  the  sight  of  holy 
water,  and  all  the  abominable  qualities  of  the  Englishman,  are 
typified  to  him  in  Cecil  J.  Rhodes. 

President  Kruger  was  born  in  Cape  Colony  in  October,  1825. 
While  a  small  boy,  the  troubles  between  the  Colonial  Government 
and  the  Boers  began,  and  he  joined  his  people  in  journeying  to 
the  interior.  He  was  a  remarkable  athlete,  endowed  with  prodigious 
strength  and  activity,  and  possessing  a  personal  courage  that  abso- 
lutely knew  no  fear.    Tn  those  days  the  lion  rendered  some  parts 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  211 

of  South  Africa  almost  uninhabitable  for  white  men  or  negroes. 
No  life  was  safe  until  the  country  was  cleared  of  the  fearful  pests. 
It  is  stated  on  good  authority,  that  before  the  final  settlement 
was  made  in  the  Transvaal,  fully  six  thousand  lions  were  killed, 
of  which  more  than  two  hundred  fell  by  the  hand  of  Paul  Kruger. 
He  was  still  in  his  teens,  when  he  took  part  in  the  wars  with  the 
natives,  who  were  nearly  as  troublesome  as  the  lions.  When 
seventeen  years  old,  he  professed  religion  and  there  is  no  stronger 
characteristic  of  his  nature  than  his  deep  devotion  and  obedience 
to  the  will  of  his  Master.  He  believes  himself  an  instrument  in 
the  hands  of  the  Almighty  for  the  carrying  out  of  His  purposes 
among  His  beloved  Boers,  and  no  disaster,  however  crushing,  or 
victory,  however  great,  can  shaken  his  trust  in  God. 

It  is  suspected  that  President  Kruger  is  able  to  speak  the 
English  language  fluently.  Several  persons  narrate  that  in  hold- 
ing a  conversation  with  him,  through  an  interpreter,  the  shrewd 
old  fellow  often  showed  that  he  understood  the  English  expres- 
sions before  they  were  translated.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  will  not 
admit  such  knowledge,  and  in  every  interview  which  he  holds 
with  a  visitor  using  the  hated  tongue,  he  insists  upon  having  it 
filtered  into  that  of  his  own  country. 

Never  was  there  a  greater  democrat  than  President  Kruger. 
A  person  unacquainted  with  his  identity,  seeing  him  among  his 
townsmen,  would  never  suspect  that  he  was  a  jot  socially  higher 
than  the  lowest  of  them.  He  spends  an  hour  every  morning  in 
his  family  devotions  and  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  and  nothing 
delights  him  more  than,  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Volksraad, 
to  sit  on  the  piazza  of  his  modest,  white-washed  cottage  and 
smoke  and  chat  with  the  burghers,  who  enjoy  the  occasion  no  less 


212  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

tlian  he.  Coffee  and  tobacco  are  furnished  freely  to  all  visitors. 
None  can  laugh  more  heartily  than  he,  or  enjoy  more  keenly  the 
pleasant  gossip  with  his  neighbors.  He  is  said  to  be  immensely 
wealthy,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  he  is  a  millionaire,  while 
his  son-in-law  is  still  richer  and  occupies  a  residence  that  cost  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars.  The  president's  salary  is  thirty-five 
thousand  dollars,  but  he  lives  as  plainly  as  if  it  were  less  than 
a  tenth  of  that  sum.  He  has  been  married  twice,  and  has  had 
seventeen  children  born  to  him,  of  whom  only  seven  are  living. 
That  meteoric  character,  Barney  Barnato,  whose  brief  career  in 
South  Africa  dazzled  the  world,  presented  President  Kruger  with 
two  fine  marble  statues  of  lions,  which  have  been  placed  on  the 
lawn  in  front  of  his  house.  Some  of  our  readers  may  have  seen 
a  photograph  of  the  President  standing  with  a  hand  resting  on 
the  head  of  one  of  the  recumbent  animals.  It  tickles  the  fancy 
of  the  Boers  to  see  a  significance  in  this  pose,  which  possibly 
was  not  intended  by  the  president  himself  when  he  stood  for  the 
photograph. 

The  following  interesting  reference  to  President  Kruger  is 
from  The  Boston  Pilot,  by  a  gentleman  who  has  been  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  great  Boer  leader  for  the   past   twenty    years: 

"This  remarkable  man  was  born  on  October  10,  1825.  His 
parents  were  Boer  farmers,  residing  in  Cape  Colony,  too  poor  to 
provide  Paul  with  shoes.  The  future  ruler  of  the  South  African 
Republic  had  to  trudge  over  the  African  'veldt'  in  his  bare  feet. 
He  was  christened  S.  J.  Paul  Kruger,  but  the  two  initials  were 
soon  disused,  though  President  Kruger  uses  them  in  signing  state 
papers.  Fear  was  unknown  to  Kruger  from  boyhood.  When  he 
was  in  his  seventeenth  year  his  father  asked  him  to  take  home  his 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  213 

span  of  oxen  and  an  empty  wagon.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
little  sister. 

"'Paul,'  said  his  father,  'take  care  of  your  sister.' 

"'I  will,'  he  said  simply. 

"In  those  days  traveling  in  Cape  Colony  was  anything  but  a 
picnic.  Wild  animals  were  plentiful,  and  many  a  traveler  became 
a  prey  to  these  beasts.  Everything  went  well  until  Paul  was  within 
about  five  miles  from  home.  Here  a  large  panther  made  his  appear- 
ance. The  oxen  took  fright  and  bolted.  The  jostling  of  the  wagon 
threw  the  little  girl  to  the  ground,  where  she  was  at  the  mercy  of 
the  ferocious  animal.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation  young  Kruger 
jumped  from  the  wagon  and  ran  to  his  sister's  assistance.  The 
panther  stood  with  gleaming  eyes  over  the  prostrate  child.  Kruger 
was  unarmed,  but  without  a  moment's  hesitation  he  engaged  the 
panther  in  a  hand-to-hand  battle.  It  was  a  fierce  battle.  Time 
and  again  the  angry  beast  clawed  Kruger  cruelly,  but  his  courage 
and  strength  never  failed  him.  Like  a  bulldog  he  held  his  grip 
upon  the  panther's  throat  until  he  strangled  the  beast  to  death. 
Kruger  was  badly  lacerated.  Blood  flowed  from  many  wounds,  but 
notwithstanding  his  injuries  he  carried  his  fainting  sister  home. 
This  exploit  made  him  the  hero  of  the  sturdy  Boers  in  that  section. 
It  was  the  first  indication  of  the  latent  powers  that  dwelt  in  the 
coming  ruler  of  the  Transvaal. 

"  From  boyhood  Kruger  hated  the  English  with  a  hatred 
which  has  only  increased  with  years.  His  boast  was  that  some 
day  he  would  raise  an  army  to  fight  the  English.  When  Kruger 
was  young  his  people  moved  to  the  Orange  Free  State,  and  later  to 
the  Transvaal.  The  first  time  I  met  Paul  Kruger  was  in  Pretoria 
in  1879.     Though   past   fifty   years  of  age,    he  was  a  Hercules  in 


214  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

physique,  standing  over  six  feet  in  his  stockings,  and  strongly 
built,  without  an  ounce  of  superfluous  flesh  on  his  body.  He  and 
Joubert  were  then  arraying  the  Boers  for  the  great  struggle  with 
England,  which  came  in  1881,  securing  for  the  Boers  the  right  of 
self-government.  In  those  days  Kruger  w^as  poor  compared  with 
his  wealth  of  to-day.  He  had  a  large  family,  to  which  he  was 
devotedly  attached. 

"  When  I  met  him  over  fifteen  years  later,  although  the  Pres- 
ident of  the  Republic,  he  was  as  unassuming  as  in  earlier  days. 
He  asked  me  to  be  his  guest,  and  in  his  parlor  in  Pretoria  we 
talked  of  old  days.  Kruger  had  aged  considerably  in  the  fifteen 
years.  He  stooped  somewhat,  but  the  fire  of  youth  gleamed  in  his 
eyes,  and  age  seemed  unable  to  dim  his  ardor.  My  conversation 
with  him  was  carried  on  through  his  secretary.  'Oom'  Paul  can 
speak  English  fluently,  but  under  no  circumstances  w-ill  he  carry 
on  a  conversation  in  that  language.  This  procedure  when  in  con- 
ference with  British  ofiBcials  gives  him  an  opportunity  to  collect 
his  thoughts  before  replying.  He  is  an  inveterate  smoker  and 
coffee  drinker,  and  is  hardly  ever  seen  at  home  without  a  long 
pipe  in  his  mouth.  At  his  side  is  a  large  cuspidor,  which  he 
uses  freely. 

"  The  motto  of  President  Kruger  for  years  has  been  Patrick 
Henry's  memorable  utterance,  'Give  me  liberty  or  give  me 
death.'  This  sentence  translated  into  the  Boer  language,  hangs 
handsomely  framed  in  his  parlor.  This  heroic  Boer  ruler  is 
almost  devoid  of  learning.  What  education  he  has  was  hard  to 
secure.  Yet  he  has  baflSed  men  of  learning  by  his  sagacity.  His 
knowledge  of  human  nature  is  wonderful.  Once  in  Johannesburg 
there  was  an   elected  board  of  health   which   was  becoming  daily 


3^ 
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3 

8 


QQ 

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VIEW  CN  BONTIBOK  FLATS,  CATHCART  DISTRICT,  WITH 
GIAKA'S  KOP  IN  THE  DISTANCE. 


LEADERS  IX  SOUTH  AFRICA  217 

more  powerful.  The  members  were  mostly  English,  among  them 
being  a  Mr.  Holt,  who  was  ultra  English  in  his  views.  This 
board  was  the  only  hope  of  the  British  element  for  securing 
control  of  Johannesburg.  In  November,  1894,  President  Kruger 
issued  an  edict  that  only  the  Boer  language  could  be  used  at  the 
meetings  of  the  health  board,  and  only  those  who  could  speak  the 
language  were  qualified  to  be  its  members.  The  English  fumed, 
but  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  resign.  The  Boer  language  is  as 
hard  to  learn  as  the  Chinese. 

"  In  November,  1894,  I  was  President  Kruger's  guest  when  he 
drove  home  the  last  spike  in  the  Delagoa  Bay  Railway,  which 
connects  Pretoria  with  Delagoa  Bay.  It  was  an  inspiring  scene 
when  the  presidential  train  arrived  at  Bronkhorst  Spruit.  As  the 
old  president  stepped  from  his  special  car  he  was  greeted  by  hun- 
dreds of  Boer  farmers.  In  the  distance  could  be  seen  the  three 
grouped  graves  of  the  rearguard  of  the  British  Ninety-second  Reg- 
iment. In  a  few  words  Kruger  exorted  the  Boers  to  stand  by 
their  country;  never  to  give  it  up  to  a  foreign  foe.  As  he  made 
this  appeal  he  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  last  resting  place  of  the 
British  soldiers. 

"He  is  decidedly  partial  to  Americans,  and  has  not  forgotten 
the  time  when  a  handful  of  Americans  saved  him  from  a  British 
mob.  This  took  place  in  1893  when  Sir  Henry  Loch,  then  Governor 
of  Cape  Colony  and  High  Commissioner  of  Africa,  went  to  Pretoria 
to  confer  with  Kruger  concerning  the  command  to  British  subjects 
to  carry  arms  in  the  Boer  army.  The  Englishmen  in  Johannesburg, 
excited  over  Loch's  visit,  went  to  Pretoria  in  special  trains.  When 
Loch  arrived  they  took  the  horses  out  of  his  carriage  and  drew  him  in 
triumph  to  the  Capitol.     Some  over-excited  ones  took  the  horses  out 

12 


218  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

of  President  Kriiger's  carriage  and  started  to  mob  him.  In  an  instant 
the  old  president  was  surrounded  by  twenty  Americans  with  drawn 
revolvers.  They  threatened  to  shoot  the  first  man  that  attempted  to 
lay  hands  on  Kruger.     He  has  never  forgotten  that  kindness. 

"Before  I  left  Pretoria,  President  Kruger  said  to  me  through, 
his  Secretary: 

"'When  you  go  home  to  the  United  States  tell  the  people 
there  for  me  that  there  is  a  small  nation  here,  loving  their  country 
and  their  liberty,  that  idolizes  the  American  flag  and  the  free 
institutions  of  the  country.  May  the  United  States  ever  prosper 
and  remain  true  to  the  principles  of  her  forefathers,  is  my  earnest 
wish.  It  would  please  me  very  much  if  a  treaty  could  be  made 
between  the  United  States  and.  the  Transvaal.  Could  I  favor 
American  commerce  I  would  do  so,  and  I  shall  try  all  in  my 
power  to  grant  some  concessions.' 

"The  voice  of  the  aged  president  quivered  as  he  spoke,  and 
his  eyes  were  moist.    He  was  certainly  deeply  moved. 

"It  is  no  wonder  that  the  old  Boers  love  their  President.  His 
character  is  pure;  he  is  gentle  as  a  babe,  but  firm  as  a  rock,  and 
a  very  lion  when  his  country  is  in  danger." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  president  badly  injured  one  of 
his  thumbs,  when  hunting  in  his  early  days,  and  rather  than  bother 
with  it  he  cut  it  off.  When  the  tension  between  his  country  and 
Great  Britain  was  near  the  snapping  point,  he  was  discussing  the 
matter  one  day  with  his  friends,  and  to  illustrate  how  he  would 
circumvent  Sir  Alfred  Milner,  he  began  checking  off  on  his  fingers, 
starting  wdth  the  little  one. 

"I  was  too  much  for  Sir  George  Gray,"  he  said,  and  coming  to 
his  third  finger,  he  added:  "I  was  too  much  for  Sir  Howard  Berkeley." 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  219 

Then,  touching  his  second  finger,  he  continued:  "I  was  too  much 
for  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  and  touching  his  index  finger,  he  added,  **I  was 
too  much  for  Sir  Hercules  Robinson,  and  I  shall   be  too  much  for 

Sir   alle  naagfe!"   he    exclaimed,   in    dismay,   for    when    he 

attempted  to  touch  his  thumb  he  was  reminded  that  none  was 
there.  His  manner  showed  that  he  was  unpleasantly  impressed,  for 
there  was  something  in  the  incident  that  strongly  appealed  to  the 
superstitious  side  of  his  nature. 

A  man  of  such  rugged  mentality  and  clear  statesmanship,  even 
though  of  scant  education,  naturally  has  a  style  of  \Ariting  that  is 
peculiarly  his  own.    Several  days  after  the  Jameson  raid,  the  President 
issued  the  following  proclamation  to  the  citizens  of  Johannesburg  : 
"  To  All  the  Residents  of  Johannesburg. 

"I,  S.  J.  P.  Kruger,  State  President  of  the  South  African 
Republic,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Executive  Council, 
by  virtue  of  Article  VI  of  the  Minutes  of  the  Council,  dated 
January  10,  1896,  do  hereby  make  known  to  all  the  residents  of 
Johannesburg  and  neighborhood  that  I  am  inexpressibly  thankful 
to  God  that  the  despicable  and  treacherous  incursion  into  my 
country  has  been  prevented,  and  the  independence  of  the  republic 
saved,  through  the  courage  and  bravery  of  my   burghers. 

"The  persons  who  have  been  guilty  of  this  crime  must  natur- 
ally be  punished  according  to  law — that  is  to  say,  they  must  stand 
their  trial  before  the  high  court  and  a  jury — but  there  are  thou- 
sands who  have  been  misled  and  deceived,  and  it  has  clearly 
appeared  to  me  that  even  among  the  so-called  leaders  of  the 
movement   there  are  many   who   have  been   deceived. 

"  A  small  number  of  intriguers  in  and  outside  of  the  quarter 
ingeniously  incited  a  number  of  the  residents  of  Johannesburg  and 


220  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

siiiToundings,  under  the  guise  of  standing  up  for  political  rights,  and 
day  by  day,  as  it  were,  urged  them  on;  and  when,  in  their  stupidity, 
they  thought  that  the  moment  had  arrived,  they  (the  intriguers) 
caused  one  Dr.  Jameson  to  cross  the  boundary  of  the  republic. 

"  Did  they  ever  ask  themselves  to  what  they  were  exposing  you? 

"  I  shudder  when  I  think  what  bloodshed  could  have  resulted 
had  a  merciful  Providence  not  saved  you  and  my  burghers. 

"  I  will  not  refer  to  the  financial  damage. 

"  Now  I  approach  you  with  full  confidence.  Work  together 
with  the  government  of  this  republic,  and  strengthen  their  hands 
to  make  this  country  a  land  wherein  people  of  all  nationalities 
may  reside  in   common  brotherhood. 

"For  months  and  months  I  have  planned  what  changes  and 
reforms- could  have  been  considered  desirable  in  the  government  of 
the  state,  but  the  loathsome  agitation,  especially  of  the  press,  has 
restrained  me. 

"The  same  men  who  have  publicly  come  forward  as  leaders, 
have  demanded  reforms  from  me,  and  in  a  tone  and  manner  which 
they  would  not  have  ventured  to  have  done  in  their  own  country, 
owing  to  fear  for  the  criminal  law.  For  that  cause  it  was  made 
impossible  for  me  and  my  burghers,  the  founders  of  this  Republic, 
to  take  their  preposterous  proposals  into  consideration. 

"It  is  my  intention  to  submit  a  draft  law  at  the  ordinary 
session  of  the  Raad,  whereby  a  municipality,  with  a  mayor  at  the 
head,  would  be  granted  to  Johannesburg,  to  whom  the  control  of 
the  city  will  be  entrusted.  According  to  all  constitutional  principles, 
the  Municipal   Board  will  be   elected   by  the  people  of  the  town. 

"I  earnestly  request  you,  laying  your  hands  on  your  hearts,  to 
answer  me  this  question:    After  what  has  happened,  can  and  may  I 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  221 

submit  this  to  the  representatives  of  the  people?  My  reply  is,  1  know 
there  are  thousands  in  Johannesburg  and  the  suburbs  to  whom  I 
can  entrust  such  elective  powers.  Inhabitants  of  Johannesburg, 
render  it  possible  for  the  Government  to  go  before  the  Volksraad 
with  the  motto,  'Forgotten  and  Forgiven.'" 

President  Kruger  values  the  following  tribute  above  all  that  he 
has  ever  received  from  any  governmental  authority.  It  was  written 
by  Emperor  William,  of  Germany,  a  few  days  after  the  Jameson 
raid.  Coming  from  such  an  exalted  source  it  naturally  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  civilized  world.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
august  ruler  of  Germany  is  prone  to  act  upon  sudden  impulses  of 
feeling,  and  the  dispatch  was  pronounced  "indiscreet"  by  other 
nations. 

"Received  January  3,  1896.     From  Wilhelm,  I.  R.,  Berlin. 
"To  President  Kruger,  Pretoria: 

"  I  tender  you  my  sincere  congratulations  that,  without  appeal- 
ing to  the  help  of  friendly  Powers,  you  and  your  people  have  been 
successful  in  opposing,  with  your  own  forces,  the  armed  bands  that 
have  broken  into  your  country  to  disturb  the  peace,  in  restoring 
order,  and  in  maintaining  the  independence  of  your  country  against 
.attacks  from  without.  "  Wilhelm,  I.  R." 

Among  the  honors  which  have  been  conferred  upon  President 
Kruger  by  European  rulers,  are  the  following:  Knight  of  the  First 
Class  of  the  Red  Eagle  of  Prussia,  Grand  Oflicer  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor,  Grand  Knight  of  the  Leopold  Order  of  Belgium,  Grand 
Knight  of  the  Netherland  Lion,  and  Grand  Knight  of  the  Portu- 
guese Order  of  Distinguished  Foreigners.  With  the  insignia  of  these 
orders  displayed  on  the  front  of  President  Kruger's  massive  chest,  it 
can  well  be    imagined   that  the  sight  would  be  an  impressive  one. 


222  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

The  next  man  of  importance  in  the  Transvaal,  if,  indeed,  he  is 
not  the  first  during  war  times,  is  Commandant-General  Pietrus 
Jacobus  Joubert,  who  is  the  supreme  head  of  military  forces, 
besides  being  Vice-President  of  the  Republic.  His  ability  is  of  a 
high  order,  and  his  popularity  fully  equal  to  the  president's.  Like 
the  greatest  military  leaders,  General  Joubert  believes  that  in  the 
settlement  of  disputes  the  arbitrament  of  arms  should  be  the  last 
resort;  but  a  patriot  at  heart,  devotedly  attached  to  his  country, 
he  never  shrinks  from  duty,  and  the  fear  of  death  and  disaster  does 
not  enter  his  thoughts  when  called  to  defend  his  principles.  Gen- 
eral Joubert  has  long  been  noted  for  his  broad-minded  views,  and 
it  is  w^ell  known  that  he  has  always  advocated  a  greater  liberality 
towards  the  Uitlanders  than  the  Republic  has  been  willing  to  show. 
As  Vice-President  of  the  Republic,  his  office  is  little  more  than  a 
name,  his  influence  therein  being  insignificant.  His  popularity  among 
the  liberal  and  progressive  Boers  is  such  that  he  has  been  twice 
nominated  for  the  presidency.  President  Kruger  believes  that  the 
safety  of  his  country  demands  the  denial,  except  under  rigid  con- 
ditions, of  the  franchise  for  the  Uitlanders,  while  General  Joubert 
claims  that  there  are  a  great  many  of  them  who  are  at  heart 
friends  of  the  government,  and  who  should,  therefore,  be  given  the 
right  to  vote.  He  thinks  that  such  a  person  should  first  take  an 
oath  of  fidelity,  with  all  the  responsibility  thereby  implied,  and  if, 
after  a  test  of  a  few  years,  his  sincerity  is  clearly  proven,  he  should 
be  admitted  to  the  full  privileges  now  enjoyed  by  native  burghers. 

It  will  be  understood  from  what  has  been  said,  that  President 
Kruger  and  General  Joubert  represent  the  two  arms  of  the  Republic, 
one  its  diplomatic  and  the  other  its  military.  Each  began  his 
career   in   early   youth.     General   Joubert  was   a  volunteer   under 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  223 

Commandant-General  Kruger,  and  through  the  ability  he  displayed, 
won  his  way  to  the  supreme  command  of  the  military  forces  of 
the  Republic.  He  taught  England  his  terrible  power  to  smite  at 
Laing's  Nek,  Bronkhurst  Spruit  and  Majuba  Hill,  as  well  as  in  the 
most  important  Boer  victories  of  tlie  late  war.  He  is  not  merely 
a  fighter,  but  a  strategist,  worthy  to  take  rank  among  the  great 
military  leaders  of  modem  days.  The  following  incident  is  told 
of  him  by  Howard  C.  Hillegas  in  "Oom  Paul's  People:" 

"Shortly  after  Jameson  and  his  oflBcers  were  brought  to  Pretoria, 
President  Kruger  called  about  twenty  of  the  Boer  commanders  to 
his  house  for  a  consultation.  The  towns-people  were  highly  excited, 
and  the  presence  of  the  men  who  had  tried  to  destroy  the  Republic 
aggravated  their  condition  so  that  there  were  few  calm  minds  in 
the  capital.  President  Kruger  was  deeply  affected  by  the  serious- 
ness of  the  events  of  the  days  before,  but  counselled  all  those 
present  to  be  calm.  There  were  some  in  the  gathering  who  advised 
that  Jameson  and  his  men  should  be  shot  immediately,  while  one 
man  jocosely  remarked  that  they  should  not  be  treated  so  leniently, 
and  suggested  that  a  way  to  make  them  suffer  would  be  to  cut  off 
their  ears. 

"One  of  the  men  who  was  obliged  to  leave  the  meeting,  gave 
this  account  to  the  waiting  throngs  in  the  street,  and  a  few  hours 
afterward  the  cable  had  carried  the  news  to  Europe  and  America, 
with  the  result  that  the  Boers  were  called  brutal  and  inhuman. 
President  Kruger  used  all  his  influence  and  eloquence  to  save  the 
lives  of  the  prisoners,  and  for  a  long  time  he  was  unsuccessful  in 
securing  the  smallest  amount  of  sympathy  for  Jameson  and  his  men. 
It  was  dawn  when  General  Joubert  was  won  to  the  president's  way  of 
thinking,  and  he  continued  the  argument  in  behalf  of  the  prisoners. 


'jL'l  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"'My  friends,  I  will  ask  yon  to  listen  patiently  to  me  for 
several  minutes/ he  commenced.  'I  will  tell  you  the  story  of  the 
farmer  and  the  neighbor's  dog.  Suppose  that  near  your  farm  lives 
ji  man  whose  valuable  dogs  attack  your  sheep  and  kill  many. 
Will  you  shoot  the  dogs  as  soon  as  you  see  them,  and  in  that  way 
make  yourself  liable  for  damages  greater  than  the  value  of  the 
sheep  that  were  destroyed?  Or  will  you  catch  the  dogs  when  you 
are  able  to  do  so,  and,  carrying  them  to  your  neighbor,  say  to 
liiin:  I  have  got  your  dogs;  now^  pay  me  for  the  damage  they 
have  done  me,  and  they  shall  be  returned  to  you?' 

"i\.fter  a  moment's  silence  General  Joubert's  face  lighted  up 
joyfully,  and  he  exclaimed: 

"*We  have  the  neighbor's  dogs  in  the  jail.  What  shall  we  do 
with  them?' 

"The  parable  was  effective,  and  the  council  of  war  decided 
almost  instantly  to  deliver  the  prisoners  to  the  British  Government." 

On  November  30,  1897,  a  Loudon  newspaper  printed  the  follow- 
ing words  which  were  spoken  by  General  Joubert  to  its  corres- 
pondent: "Have  not  you  English  always  followed  on  our  heels— 
not  on  us  here  only,  but  all  over  the  w^orld,  always  conquering,  always 
getting  more  land?  We  were  independent  when  you  came  here. 
We  are  independent  now,  and  you  shall  never  take  our  independence 
from  us.  The  whole  people  will  fight.  You  may  shed  blood  over  all 
South  Africa,  but  it  will  only  be  over  our  dead  bodies  that  you 
will  seize  our  independence.  Every  Dutchman  in  South  Africa  will 
light  against  you.  Even  the  women  will  fight.  You  may  take 
away  our  lives,  but  our  independence — never!" 

General  Joubert,  at  this  writing,  is  sixty-eight  years  old,  and 
comes  of  an  old  French  Huguenot  family,  settled  a  long  time  ago 


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DR.  LEANDER  S.  JAMESON. 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  227 

in  South  Africa,  which  has  a  strong  infusion  of  Dutch  blood.  Born 
in  Cape  Colony,  he  began  life  as  a  farmer,  but  his  marked  ability 
soon  placed  him  at  the  front  in  public  life.  He  was  State  Attorney 
to  the  South  African  Republic,  before  he  was  Vice-President.  He 
has  always  been  very  popular,  and  in  1893,  came  within  881  votes 
of  defeating  Kruger  for  the  presidency.. 

His  most  characteristic  traits  are  his  courage,  fairness  and 
humanity.  It  was  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  for  him  to 
telegraph  his  condolence  to  Lady  Symons  upon  the  death  of  her 
husband,  and  nothing  could  exceed  the  kindness  he  showed  to  his 
prisoners.  He  organized  the  army  of  the  Transvaal  and  divided 
the  country  into  seventeen  military  departments,  each  department 
being  divided  again  into  smaller  divisions,  with  commandei*s,  field 
cornets  and  lieutenants  of  different  rank  in  charge.  Every  man  had 
his  complete  equipment  at  home  and  was  ready  for  service  almost  as 
soon  as  notified.  He  had  to  send  only  seventeen  telegrams  to  bring 
about  the  mobilization  of  his  army  within  forty-eight  hours. 

General  Joubert  is  known  far  and  wide  as  "Slim  Piet,"  but 
"slim"  has  no  reference  to  his  figure,  which  is  massive,  but  to  his 
shrewdness  and  cunning,  and  even  his  enemies  will  admit  that  this 
name  has  been  well  earned. 

The  following  interesting  letter  was  addressed  to  the  editor  of 
one  of  the  Magdeburg  journals,  who  had  become  acquainted  with 
General  Joubert  in  the  Transvaal,  and  to  whom  he  wrote  a  long 
letter,  in  which  he  expresses, his  opinions  regarding  the  solution  of 
the  Anglo-Boer  struggle.  There  are  some  statements  of  the  Boer 
commander  that  will  attract  attention: 

"  Before  Ladysmith,  Oct.  27. 

"My  Dear  Sir:    The  close  of  vour  letter,  which  reached  me  this 


o'js  TllK  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

iii()niin<,',  was  pioi)lietic.  War  has  broken  out.  God  grant  that  it 
limy  continue  to  be  as  favorable  to  us  as  it  has  been  up  to  the 
present.  It  was  with  :i  full  and  firm  confidence  in  the  Almighty 
tluit  we  entered  upon  this  war,  which  was  forced  upon  us,  in 
defense  of  our  country's  liberty,  for  which  we  are  determined  to 
conquer  or  die. 

"You  know  my  countrymen  sufficiently  not  to  need  any 
explanation  on  that  point,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  I  come 
immediately  to  the  important  point  of  my  reply.  After  the  Jame- 
son raid  in  January,  1896,  which,  fortunately,  we  crushed,  our 
government  became  convinced  that  England,  urged  on  by  classes 
little  worthy  of  respect,  was  determined  to  begin,  sooner  or  later, 
a  war  of  extermination  against  the  Boers.  We  were  also  convinced 
that  the  only  way  to  guard  against  that  danger  was  to  accumulate 
armaments;  and,  although  we  knew  that  the  war  in  question  on 
the  part  of  England  would  be  severely  condemned  by  all  the 
European  powers,  we  foresaw  that  none  of  them  could  intervene 
efficaciously,  because  they  would  all  be  so  strongly  influenced  by 
the  noisy  threats  of  England  and  by  the  armament  of  her  formid- 
able fleet,  that  the  greatest  of  them  would  not  dare  to  raise  their 
voices  against  the  insatiable  greed  of  England,  even  if  their  own 
interests  were  to  suffer.  Under  these  circumstances,  we  had  to  rely 
upon  our  own  strength.  To  arm  continually  and  to  conceal  our 
armaments — that  was  our  aim,  and  in  this  we  have  been  eminently 
successful. 

"  We  often  allowed  the  English  spies  to  visit  our  arsenals 
where  there  was  nothing  but  old  material,  but  we  carefully  con- 
cealed our  molern  material,  of  which  the  English  knew  nothing 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  229 

"We  were  not  wrong  in  counting  upon  the  disdainful  reports 
of  the  English  spies  in  regard  to  our  military  strength,  and  their 
boasts  about  rushing  Pretoria  did  not  frighten  us. 

"But  your  opinion  of  the  numerical  forces  of  the  English 
seems  to  me  exaggerated.  Up  to  the  first  week  of  the  month  of 
December  the  English  will  not  be  able  to  put  in  the  field  more 
than  85,000  men,  from  which  must  be  deducted  at  that  time  at 
least  10,000  men  in  killed,  wounded,  sick  and  prisoners.  From  the 
75,000  remaining  there  must  be  a  considerable  deduction  which 
will  be  occupied  with  the  guarding  and  transportation  of  supplies; 
so  that  it  is  not  likely  that  there  will  remain  more  than  35,000 
men  for  decisive  operations. 

"Before  God  I  assure  you  that  we  Boers  have  no  idea  of  inter- 
fering with  English  predominance  in  South  Africa.  What  we  insist 
upon  is  the  complete  independence  of  our  own  country.  But  if  the 
war  should  continue  it  is  the  independent  spirit  of  all  Afrikanders 
that  will  smash  British  supremacy. 

"What  do  we  care  for  England's  40,000,000  inhabitants,  if  she 
can  only  send  80,000  soldiers  here?  We  Boers,  with  a  population 
of  170,000  souls,  have  already  50,000  men  in  the  field,  so  that  we 
can  get  along  very  well  without  the  aid  of  the  Boers  of  the  Cape 
and  of  Natal. 

"Woe  to  the  English  if  they  continue  to  excite  the  savage 
blacks  against  us!  A  universal  upheaval  of  the  Afrikanders  would 
be  the  consequence,  and  I  shudder  to  think  of  what  that  would 
mean  for  the  English. 

"Up  to  the  present  time  our  enemies  have  fought  bravely;  but 
when  they  begin  to  suffer  the  privations  of  war,  demoralization 
will  come   upon  them,  and  they  will  weaken.     We  are   convinced 


2;{()  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AB^RICA 

of  our  own  ultimiite  triumph  and  of  God's  aid  in  this  war,  as  in 
our  i)receding  wars  with  the  same  foes. 

"The  hlood  that  must  be  shed  in  this  struggle,  which  will  last 
probably  more  tlian  a  year,  will  not  be  upon  the  heads  of  our 
children.    We  fight  for  our  creed  and  country. 

"Hoping  that  you  will  cherish  a  friendly  remembrance  of  my 
countrymen  and  of  myself,  and  trusting  that  these  lines  may  find 
you  in  good  health,  I  remain,  Sincerely  yours, 

P.    J.    JOUBERT." 

Cecil  J.  Rhodes  is  one  of  several  sons  of  a  poor  English  rector, 
and  while  still  a  young  man,  was  told  by  his  physician  that  he 
was  incurably  affected  with  consumption,  and  could  not  live  at  the 
most  more  than  a  few  years.  This  was  not  the  first  mistaken 
diagnosis  made  by  a  physician.  It  recalls  to  the  mind  of  the  writer 
the  case  of  Rear  Admiral  Charles  Stewart,  of  the  American  navy, 
who  belonged  to  a  consumptive  family  and  went  to  sea  when  a  boy, 
in  the  faint  hope  of  postponing  for  a  few  years  the  death  which  all 
regarded  as  close  at  hand.  As  is  well  known,  Stewart  fought  through 
the  war  with  Tripoli,  made  a  brilliant  reputation  as  commander,  for 
a  time,  of  Old  Ironsides,  .one  of  the  most  famous  ships  of  the  Amer- 
ican navy,  and  finally  died  beyond  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Possibly 
the  milder  climate  of  South  Africa  was  a  factor  in  the  restoration 
of  Mr.  Rhodes  to  rugged  health  and  vigor,  but  it  is  not  improbable 
that  the  stirring  events  in  which  he  became  immediately  involved, 
united  to  his  own  ambition,  had  much  to  do  with  such  restoration. 

He  is  not  yet  fifty  years  of  age,  and  he  was  less  than  half 
that  when  he  joined  a  party  who  made  their  way  to  the  Kim- 
berley  Diamond  Mines.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  Mr.  Rhodes  that  he 
refused  to  take  part  in  illicit  diamond  buying,  through  which  many 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  Al^'RICA  231 

others  acquired  wealtli.  He  followed  the  maxim  of  "Poor  Richard," 
to  make  honestly  all  the  money  he  could,  and,  no  matter  how  small 
his  income,  to  lay  by  a  portion  for  the  inevitable  rainy-day.  His 
rough,  outdoor  life  proved  so  beneficial  that,  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  he  returned  to  England  and  completed  his  course  at  Oxford. 
He  then  sailed  again  for  South  Africa  and  lost  no  time  in  making 
his  way  to  Kimberley,  where,  by  shrewd  investments  in  mining 
claims,  he  not  only  added  greatly  to  his  wealth,  but  acquired  a 
marked  influence  in  affairs.  The  history  of  all  great  booms  shows 
that  the  abnormal  prosperity  was  followed,  in  a  short  time,  by 
depression  which  is  as  abnormal  as  the  original  rise  in  values.  It 
is  these  depressions  which  form  a  golden  opportunity  for  shrewd 
capitalists.  Cecil  Rhodes  availed  himself  of  the  chance  thus  offered 
him  by  a  slump  in  the  value  of  the  mining  claims.  He  expended 
every  dollar  in  buying  up  shares,  claims  and  lands,  and  then  formed 
the  idea  of  uniting  in  a  monopoly  or  syndicate  all  the  diamond 
industries  of  that  country. 

This  was  so  stupendous  a  scheme  that  it  was  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  Mr.  Rhodes  and  his  friends.  With  that  resolute  audacity 
which  is  a  distinguishing  trait  of  his  nature,  he  went  to  the 
Rothschilds,  those  colossal  bankers  whose  clients  are  the  leading 
Powers  of  the  world,  briefly  stated  his  wishes,  and  asked  them  to 
advance  the  necessary  capital.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that 
Mr.  Rhodes  was  successful,  and  he  took  back  with  him  to  Africa  all 
the  money  necessary  to  buy  the  remaining  claims  or  property  in 
the  Kimberley  district.  The  great  De  Beers  Company  was  formed  and 
Rhodes  was  made  managing  director  for  life,  at  a  salary  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year.  The  annual  dividends 
of  this  vast  corporation  amount  to  fifty  per  cent,   and    nearly    half 


282  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

a  l)illi()ii  dollars  worth  of  diamonds  have  been  placed  in  the 
markets  of  the  world.  This  success  is  mainly  due  to  the  marvelous 
ability  of  Mr.  Rhodes. 

It  was  natural  that  such  an  ambitious  man  should  enter  politics. 
Ills  [M)[tuhLnty  was  undeniable,  and  he  became  a  candidate  for  the 
Cape  Colony  Parliament  from  the  Kimberley  District.  The  same 
qualities  that  he  had  displayed  in  a  business  way  enabled  him  to 
secure  his  election,  which  was  followed  in  time  by  his  choice  to 
the  highest  office  in  the  government  of  the  Colony.  He  was  friendly 
with  everyone,  Boer,  Dutchman,  Afrikander,  Englishman  and  the 
natives  of  other  countries,  an  ardent  believer  in  the  dogma  that 
every  man  has  his  price,  and  the  possessor  of  almost  limitless 
wealth.  It  can  readily  be  seen  that  his  success  was  complete. 
Like  leading  politicians  elsewhere,  Mr.  Rhodes  soon  built  up  a 
party  upon  whose  loyalty  he  could  depend,  no  matter  what  policy 
was  adopted,  through  thick  and  thin.  Had  be  proclaimed  a  rebellion 
against  the  mother  country,  thousands  of  men,  devotedly  attached 
to  the  Queen  and  the  home  government,  would  have  rallied  under 
his  banner,  so,  when  it  became  manifest  that,  as  has  been  stated 
elsewhere,  his  policy  w^as  British  rule  from  Cairo  to  the  Cape,  it 
attracted  a  multitude  of  ardent  supporters.  In  the  face  of  diffi- 
culties which  would  have  overwhelmed  almost  any  other  man,  he 
formed  the  British  South  Africa  Company,  more  generally  known 
as  the  ''Charter  Company,"  which,  in  1895,  became  the  real  owner  of 
Rhodesia.  By  this  time  Mr.  Rhodes  was  a  multi-millionaire,  the 
head  of  one  of  the  most  enormous  capitalistic  enterprises  of  the 
globe,  and  the  Premier  of  Cape  Colony. 

But,  like  Napoleon,  his  ambition  fed  upon  itself.  Between  him 
and  the  fulfillment  of  the  supreme  ambition  of  his  life  towered  the 


LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  233 

two  republics  of  the  Transvaal  and  the  Orange  Free  State,  block- 
ing his  path  as  by  a  mountain  which,  however,  this  genius  believed, 
if  it  could  not  be  surmounted,  could  be  tunneled.  The  mistake 
must  not  be  made  of  attributing  to  Mr.  Rhodes  as  a  controlling 
motive  in  his  political  course,  that  of  sympathy  with  the  alleged 
wrongs  of  the  Uitlanders.  In  truth,  he  cared  notliing  for  then), 
and  once  bluntly  told  one  of  their  leaders  who  went  to  him  with 
complaints,  that  if  dissatisfied  with  his  treatment  by  the  Boers,  he 
was  a  fool  not  to  accept  the  remedy  within  his  reach,  by  leaving 
the  country.  It  is  conceded  that  Mr.  Rhodes  was  the  real  instigator 
of  the  Jameson  raid,  which  proved,  for  a  time,  as  disastrous  to  him 
as  to  its  immediate  participants. 

In  the  spring  of  1899  he  visited  Berlin,  where  he  had  an  inter- 
view with  Emperor  William  and  he  returned  with  encouraging 
reports.  It  was  known  that  there  was  danger  that  the  German 
ruler  w^oiild  interfere  in  the  realization  of  the  pet  project  of  the 
South  African  Colossus,  which  was  to  carry  a  telegraph  line  from 
the  Cape  to  Alexandria  and  to  follow  it  with  a  through  African 
railway.  The  distance  to  be  covered  is  5,664  miles.  For  half  of 
that  distance  railways  have  been  built  and  were  in  working  order, 
except  for  the  interruption  caused  by  the  war  in  the  Transvaal, 
The  easiest  task,  of  course,  is  the  construction  of  the  telegraph, 
which  will  undoubtedly  be  completed  within  the  next  four  or  five 
years. 

The  first  plan  was  to  build  the  railway  solely  through  British 
territory,  the  hope  being  that  complications  with  other  European 
powers,  through  whose  possessions  it  would  pass,  could  be  avoided. 
This,  however,  proved  impossible,  for,  though  most  of  the  hind  was 
British  and  under  British  sway,  there  was  a   l)elt   extending   about 


2M  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

ten  ilcgroes  south  of  the  equator,  or  some  seven  hundred  miles, 
which  was  foreign  territory  and  had  to  be  crossed,  though  nearly 
h;ilf  of  it  could  be  utilized  by  a  system  of  steamers  on  Lake 
Tanganyika. 

The  Anglo-German  treaty  of  1890  defined  the  respective 
spheres  of  the  two  countries  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  provide 
for  the  troublesome  questions  that  all  foresaw  were  sure  to  arise. 
Mutual  concessions  were  made,  but  Germany  was  immovable  on 
one  claim,  which  was  that  the  western  frontier  of  German  East 
Africa  should  advance  with  the  eastern  frontier  of  the 
Congo  Free  State.  The  English  Foreign  Office  tried  hard  to  secure 
a  strip  of  territory  along  the  eastern  side  of  Lake  Tanganyika  and 
northward  through  Uganda,  so  as  to  connect  the  possible  British 
territories  of  the  future.  The  Soudan,  however,  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  dervishes  and  the  project  was  too  visionary  for  British 
statesmanship.  At  one  time,  an  arrangement  was  reached  with 
King  Leopold  by  which  the  gap  was  bridged  and  a  strip  of  land 
fifteen  miles  ^vide  and  several  hundred  miles  in  length  was 
guaranteed  to  the  constructer  of  the  proposed  British  railway  line, 
by  the  Anglo-Congo  Convention  of  May,  1894,  but  Germany  pro- 
tested so  vigorously  that  the  concession  was  abandoned. 

This  compelled  Cecil  Rhodes  to  apply  to  the  German  authorities 
at  Berlin.  His  proposal  now  was  to  take  the  railway  through 
German  territory  by  an  arrangement  with  the  German  Colonial 
Office.  He  succeeded  in  inducing  the  German  government  to  enter 
into  an  agreement  with  the  British  South  Africa  Chartered  Com- 
pany, at  the  head  of  whicli  are  Mr.  Rhodes  and  Mr.  Beit,  by  which 
consent  was  given  to  carry  the  line  through  German  East  Africa, 
where  the  road  is  to  be  under  the  protection  of  Germany. 


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LEADERS  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA  287 

The  agreement  entered  into  early  in  November,  1899.  binds  the 
South  Africa  Company  not  to  continue  its  railroad  to  the  west 
coast  from  Rhodesia,  south  of  tiie  fourteenth  degree,  except  from 
a  point  on  the  Anglo-German  frontier,  while  Germany  was  pledged 
not  to  construct  a  railway  north  of  the  fourteenth  degree  to  the 
west  coast  until  the  line  is  built  south  of  th:it  degree  through 
German  Southwest  Africa.  Subsequently  Germany  signed  an  agree- 
ment allowing  Mr.  Rhodes'  Cape  to  Cairo  telegraph  line  to  be 
carried  through  German  East  Africa,  in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
visions recited  in  the  Reichstag  in  March,  1899.  The  meaning  of 
this  bargain  is  that  Germany  secures  the  connection  of  any  westerly 
extensions  of  the  Rhodesian  lines  with  the  proposed  German  lines 
in  German  East  Africa,  which  will  probably  start  from  Swakop,  near 
Walfish  Bay.  This  affords  a  much  shorter  route  from  England  to 
Rhodesia   than  by   way   of   Cape   Town. 

His  next  step  in  carrying  out  his  unquenchable  purpose  was 
the  futile  attempt  to  boom  and  develop  Rhodesia.  He  is,  to-day, 
the  most  prominent  Englishman  connected  with  public  affairs  in 
Africa,  and  is  admired  for  his  unquestionable  genius.  It  is  easy  to 
understand  the  inextinguishable  hatred  felt  towards  him  by  Presi- 
dent Kruger  and  the  Boers.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  prime  object 
of  the  latter  in  their  attack  upon  Kimberley,  was  the  capture  of 
Rhodes,  whose  value  to  them  as  a  prisoner,  they  placed  above  that 
of  the  great  diamond  mines.  It  was  said  repeatedly,  and  doubtless 
with  truth,  that  no  risk  or  effort  was  too  great  for  the  Boers  to 
put  forth  in  order  to  secure  the  one  whom  they  regarded  as  their 
greatest  and  most  dangerous  enemy. 

Speaking  more  personally  of  Mr.  Rhodes,  it  may  be  said  that 
he  is  unmarried,  looking  upon  a  wife  as  a  handicap,  rather  than  a 

13 


238  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

help  to  an  ambitious  man.  He  dresses  poorly,  is  very  generous, 
is  a  man  of  few  words,  of  much  magnetism,  abstemious  in  his 
habits  and  despises  formality  and  all  ostentation.  When  he  sets 
out  to  accomplish  any  purpose  he  believes  he  is  justified  in  remov- 
ing every  obstacle  by  any  means  at  his  hand.  To  him  well  applies 
the  anecdote  told  of  Thaddeus  Stevens,  the  great  Republican  leader 
in  the  United  States  Congress  during  reconstruction  times,  who, 
when  a  member  of  his  party  met  one  of  his  demands  with  the 
reply:  "My  conscience  will  not  permit  me  to  cast  my  vote  as  you 
insist,"  was  answered  by  the  indignant  Stevens  with  the  exclama- 
tion:   "To  with  your  conscience." 

Reference  has  been  frequently  made  in  these  pages  to  the 
Afrikander  Bond.  This  political  organization  has  acquired  control 
of  Cape  Colony  under  the  policy  of  "South  Africa  for  South 
Africans;"  in  other  words,  that  the  interests  of  South  Africa  shall 
be  served  first,  and  that  of  Great  Britain  afterward.  The  majority 
of  its  members  are  Dutch,  who  believe  that  their  chief  duty  is  to 
aid  in  developing  their  resources  by  rigid  legislation  and  wise  pro- 
ductive tariffs.  This  object  attained,  it  is  then  time  to  give  atten- 
tion to  the  interests  of  Great  Britain.  It  is  not  unnatural,  perhaps, 
that  the  members  of  the  Bond  should  be  favorably  disposed  toward 
those  of  the  same  faith  in  the  Transvaal.  They  approve  the  course 
of  President  Kruger  in  dealing  with  the  franchise  dispute,  and, 
consequently,  their  loyality  to  the  home  country,  in  case  of  war 
against  their  friends  to  the  north,  is  no  more  than  a  brittle  thread. 


CHAPTER  XITI 

A   COUNTRY   OF    BOUNDLESS    POSSIBILITIES 

The  eyes  of  the  world  have  been  directed  on  South  Africa  for 
several  years  because  of  the  great  commercial  possibilities  afforded 
in  this  distant  land.  The  wants  of  the  Afrikanders  have  steadily 
grown  as  they  have  settled  up  the  country,  until  now,  all  nations 
are  eager  to  secure  a  portion  of  the  augmenting  trade.  The  Afri- 
kanders, as  a  rule,  have  been  quick  to  avail  themselves  of  modern 
implements  and  inventions  of  all  kinds.  The  United  States  has 
entered  into  the  contest  for  the  South  African  business  with  some 
degree  of  success!  Other  countries  are  exporting  largely,  England 
having  a  vast  volume  of  export  business  with  the  Soutli  Afi'icau 
Colonies  and  Republics. 

The  latest  account  of  South  Africa  was  written  by  United  States 
Consul-General  at  Cape  Towm,  James  G.  Stowe,  who  made  a  tour  of 
inspection  through  Cape  Colony,  Natal,  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the 
Transvaal,  and  gave  the  result  of  his  observations  in  a  report  to  the 
State  Department,  dated  June  15,  1899,  under  the  title  of  "Com- 
mercial Development  of  Soutli  Africa." 

Mr.  Stowe's  first  journej''  occupied  two  days  and  one  night,  and 
led  him  from  Cape  Town  to  Kimberley,  a  distance  of  647  miles.  The 
ride  was  made  in  a  compartment  car,  which  in  that  part  of  the  world 
takes  the  place  of  sleeping  and  dining  cars.  At  night  his  bed  coi:- 
sisted  of  "one  sheet  double,  one  small  pillov/  and  two  blankets  made 
up,"  for  which  he  paid  a  sum  in  English  money  equivalent 
to  $2.43. 

(239) 


..iij  THE  STUKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

Oil  tlio  lirst  afternoon  he  passed  through  the  Hex  Mountains, 
wliosf  ni^'j^ed  appearance  recalled  Colorado  in  his  own  country. 

"Ill  the  distance  on  each  side  could  be  seen  the  'coppies'  (hills) 
assuming  all  shapes  and  heights.  These  wastes  were  covered  with  a 
stunted  l)ush,  the  food  of  the  sheep  which  once  roamed  about  in  large 
numbers,  now  sadly  decimated  by  disease.  At  the  foot  of  the  coppies 
are  some  fertile  fields,  whose  principal  products  are  Kaffir  corn  and 
mealies.  The  Kaffir  corn  is  in  the  tassel  —  not  in  the  ear;  the  mealie 
is  like  our  own  Indian  corn,  but  smaller  in  ear  and  grain,  and 
when  ground  and  mixed  with  cold  water  is  more  palatable  than  our 
Indian  corn  when  scalded.  The  mealie  is  planted  in  rows  and  left  to 
mature.  It  is  never  cultivated;  hence  the  plant  runs  to  stalk  and  not 
to  ear." 

The  sight  of  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  added  to  the  reminder  of 
his  native  land;  but  besides  goats  and  the  animals  named,  he  saw 
what  is  witnessed  nowhere  else  in  the  world,  large  numbers  of 
ostriches.  It  would  be  supposed  that  this  stupid  creature,  w'hose  lack 
of  sense  makes  it  an  easy  prey  to  the  Bushmen,  would  have  been 
frightened  by  the  roar  of  the  iron  horse  and  train,  but  the  birds 
showed  less  timidity  than  the  quadrupeds,  for  they  came  up  to  the 
fence  and  stared  wonderingly  at  the  train  as  it  thundered  past.  The 
fences  inclosing  the  track  were  of  American  barbed  wire,  but  the 
Dutchmen  improved  upon  them  by  attaching  the  wire  to  heavy  iron 
posts  and  gates  that  had  been  imported  from  Europe. 

We  have  already  given  the  principal  facts  about  the  famous  Kim- 
berley  diamond  mines,  but  some  of  Mr.  Stowe's  statements  are  worth 
repeating.  He  found  that  the  city  contained  35,000  inhabitants,  most 
of  whom  were  drawn  thither  by  the  mines.  The  general  manager  of 
them  is  Gardiner  F.  Williams,  who  is  also  the  United  States  Consular 


A  COUNTRY  OF  BOUNDLESS  POSSIBILITIES  241 

Agent.  A  pleasing  surprise  to  the  visitor  was  that  many  of  the  most 
responsible  positions  in  the  mines  are  held  by  Americans.  Moreover, 
the  United  States  furnish  the  majority  of  the  2,000  horses  and  mules 
used  in  the  mines,  and  some  of  the  200,000  pounds  of  beef  and  25,000 
pounds  of  mutton  consumed  by  the  15,000  natives  and  25,000  whites 
employed  in  the  mines.  "  I  was  not  at  all  surprised  to  see  American 
machinery  here,"  Mr.  Stowe  remarks.  "The  immense  driving  gear  of 
a  pumping  engine  '  made  in  England '  had  to  be  sent  to  Chicago  to 
have  the  cogs  cut.  The  company  is  operating  an  ice  plant,  made  in 
Chicago,  and  three  more  have  been  ordered,  each  with  a  capacity  of 
five  tons  a  day,  and  20,000  cubic  feet  of  cold  storage,  besides  a  com- 
plete dynamite  plant,  with  an  American  to  manage  it.  The  150  miles 
of  railroad  in  and  about  the  mines  are  laid  with  American  rails,  and 
every  tie  and  sleeper  is  of  California  redwood,  which  in  this  country 
is  the  wood  par  excellence  for  this  purpose.  Three  ships  from  Cali- 
fornia have  recently  arrived  with  cargoes  of  redwood  and  Oregon 
pine.  The  ice  company  sells  its  product  for  half-a-cent  a  pound, 
while  in  Cape  Town  the  price  is  four  cents.  All  the  water  used  in 
and  about  the  city  flows  through  pipes  made  in  the  United  States. 
I  was  pulled  to  Kimberley  by  an  American  engine,  and  there  are 
several  others  in  use  in  Cape  Colony." 

Mr.  Stowe  was  impressed  by  the  care  which  the  company  took  to 
provide  for  its  employees.  It  has  built  the  village  of  Kennilwoi-th, 
covering  500  acres  and  occupied  by  white  employees,  at  nominal  cost. 
Water  and  light  are  furnished  free,  and  there  is  a  club  house,  a 
library,  reading  rooms,  athletic  ground's,  a  park  and  vegetable 
gardens,  with  vines  and  fruits  of  all  kinds  in  profusion. 

"The  native  employees  are  housed  in  compounds.  On  the  four 
sides  of  a  large  square  are  erected  one-story  buildings  of  corrugated 


^42  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

iron,  opening  to  tho  center  of  the  square.  They  are  divided  into 
rooms  wliich  hold  twenty  persons,  who  sleep  in  bunks  three  high. 
Within  each  compound  is  a  store  which  supplies  the  natives  with 
clothes,  food,  etc.,  at  very  reasonable  prices.  In  the  center  of  the 
square  is  a  large  swimming  pool,  well  patronized.  Adjacent  to  the 
compound  is  a  liospital,  free  to  the  sick  and  injured.  Extended  over 
the  whole  enclosure,  which  occupies  several  acres,  is  a  wire  netting, 
to  prevent  the  throwing  over  of  diamonds  enclosed  in  tin  cans,  etc., 
as  was  once  the  natives'  practice.  Outside  the  compound,  and  ten 
feet  from  it,  is  a  barbed  wire  fence  ten  feet  high,  with  fourteen 
strands  of  wire.  An  underground  passage  leads  to  the  mine  shaft, 
and  the  men  are  examined  as  they  return  from  work.  Within  the 
compound  I  visited  (there  are  three)  were  3,500  natives,  and,  as  it 
was  Sunday,  they  were  all  enjoying  themselves,  dancing,  playing  on 
musical  instruments,  beating  drums,  reading  the  Bible  or  'Pilgrim's 
Progress'  in  their  own  language,  singing  hymns,  cooking,  sewing, 
smoking  hemp  in  cow  horns  and  gambling.  Some  were  clothed,  some 
not;  some  had  their  teeth  filed  to  resemble  a  saw,  others  had  their 
heads  shaved  except  a  fringe  at  the  back.  Some  were  tattooed,  and 
nearly  all  had  holes  through  the  lobe  of  the  right  ear,  to  hold  any- 
thing that  might  come  to  hand.  I  saw  spoons,  straws,  feathers  and 
stubs  of  cigars  disposed  of  in  this  manner.  The  natives  are  under 
contract  for  six  months  and  receive  from  one  shilling  to  three  shillings 
(24  to  79  cents)  a  day.  They  are  not  allowed  to  leave  the  compound 
during  the  time  of  the  contract.  No  liquor  is  furnished  them.  They 
are  happy  and  contented,  and  the  system  is  good  for  the  native,  the 
industry  and  the  country.  They  are  kept  in  a  detention  room  one 
week  before  their  contracts  expire  and  made  to  wear  gloves  made  of 
two  discs  of  leather,  locked  to  their  wrists.     Their  clothes  are  taken 


A  COUNTRY  OF  BOUNDLESS  POSSIBILITIES  243 

from  them  and  examined  and  at  the  end  of  the  week  they  leave 
without  any  diamonds." 

The  mines  are  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  What  is  now 
a  level  prairie  was  once  a  volcano.  Cropping  out  on  the  surface 
appeared  a  blue  rock  which  was  found  to  contain  diamonds.  The 
mouth  of  the  crater  is  312  feet  below  the  surface.  They  dug  300 
feet  lower,  so  that  the  mine  is  now  612  feet  deep.  The  rock  is 
elevated  to  the  surface  by  powerful  machinery  and  conveyed  to  the 
floors  or  level  ground,  at  present  occupying  about  200  acres.  Here  it  is 
left  for  a  year  to  the  action  of  the  sun,  wind  and  rains,  until  it  decom- 
poses and  falls  apart.  It  is  then  taken  to  the  crushing  and  washing 
machines  and  afterward  to  the  pulsators  which  separate  it  into  differ- 
ent sizes  and  again  wash  it.  Finally,  it  passes  over  shaking  tables, 
covered  with  grease,  which  catches  and  retains  the  diamonds.  These 
are  then  washed  in  acid  and  taken  to  the  valuator.  Roughly  speak- 
ing, out  of  3,000,000  tons  of  blue  rock  three-fourths  of  a  ton  of  dia- 
monds are  obtained.  The  valuator  assorts  the  diamonds  according  to 
color  and  purity.  I  saw  on  his  table  the  output  of  one  week,  worth 
$300,000.     A  syndicate  of  buyers  takes  the  product  of  the  mines. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  United  States  are  among  the  foremost 
customers  of  the  Kimberley  mines,  which  in  turn  is  one  of  our  best 
customers,  but  Mr.  Stowe  is  convinced  that  we  ought  t(j  have  still 
more  of  the  trade,  especially  in  galvanized  coiTugated  sheet  iron, 
which  is  used  extensively  throughout  Africa.  The  immense  buildings 
in  the  Kimberley  and  Johannesburg  mine  are  constructed  of  it,  as 
are  also  thousands  of  dwelling  houses,  barns,  warehouses,  fences,  etc. 
The  merchants  in  all  African  cities  carry  it  in  stock,  of  regular 
lengths,  packed  by  European  manufacturers  in  bundles  of  twelve 
sheets,  held  together  bv  iron  bands. 


L'4I  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Leaving  Kinibcrley,  the  Coiisul-General,  after  a  ride  of  167  miles, 
reached  the  borders  of  the  Orange  Free  State,  the  ally  of  the 
Transvaal  in  the  last  war.  A  striking  difference  in  the  scene  met 
the  eye.  "The  land  was  more  fertile,  the  houses  of  the  Kaffirs  and 
Hottentots  are  seen,  the  former  looking  like  tops  of  balloons,  the 
latter  square  and  built  of  stones.  The  Kaffir  huts  show  the  natural 
skill  and  inventive  genius  of  the  tribe.  Long  branches  or  trunks 
of  a  tree  that  grows  high  and  has  a  small  diameter  are  planted  in 
the  ground  in  a  circle,  bent  to  the  center  and  fastened.  Then  the 
native  flat  grass  is  woven  in  and  out  between  them,  making  a 
habitation  watertight  and  yet  cool."  The  panorama  presented  in  the 
ride  of  334  miles  across  the  Orange  Free  State  is  monotonous  but 
not  unpleasing.  "More  and  better  farming  is  noticed,  the  crops  are 
more  diversified.  In  the  fields,  plows  and  reapers  and  mowers  of 
familiar  home  patterns  gladden  the  eye  of  the  American  traveler. 
These  implements,  imported  from  the  United  States  by  dealers  at 
Cape  Town,  Port  Elizabeth,  East  London  and  Durban,  are  sold 
extensively  throughout  Africa.  Though  much  of  the  land  is  still 
idle,  the  Free  State  is  prosperous,  and  the  Dutch  farmers,  unlike 
their  neighbors  and  allies  across  the  Vaal,  welcome  all  comers  to 
citizenship  on  easy  terms." 

The  consul  and  his  fellow  travelers  were  detained  for  five  hours 
at  the  boundary  of  the  Republic  before  they  were  allowed  to  set  out 
for  Pretoria,  seventy-seven  miles  inward.  This  city,  as  the  reader 
will  recall,  is  the  capital  of  the  Republic  and  the  residence  of  the 
President,  "Oom  Paul;"  but  like  most  capitals,  it  is  not  a  business 
center.  Mr.  Stowe  declares  that  he  never  rode  over  a  better  roadbed, 
or  in  more  comfortable  cars  than  when  he  made  the  journey  from 
Pretoria  to  Johannesburg,  over  the  Netherlands  railway,  which  it  is 


ARRIVAL  OF  BRITISH  TROOPS  AT  DURBAN. 


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A  COUNTKY  OF  BOUNDLESS  POSSIBILITIES  247 

said  is  owned  in  Holland.  The  train  was  equipped  with  every  con- 
venience, and  the  dining  cars  were  as  good  as  those  in  this  country, 
but  they  had  one  serious  drawback;  even  to  the  sides  aud  covering 
they  were  made  of  iron,  which,  under  the  flaming  sun  in  midsummer, 
renders  their  heat  within  almost  intolerable. 

In  some  respects,  Johannesburg  is  the  most  wonderful  city  in  all 
Africa.  On  the  20th  of  September,  1886,  the  site  was  marked  off  by 
stakes  driven  into  the  unbroken  veldt,  and  given  the  dignified  name 
of  a  township.  For  a  few  years  it  was  nothing  more  than  a  mining 
camp,  whose  buildings  were  of  corrugated  iron,  dragged  thither  in 
carts  over  hundreds  of  miles  of  veldt  by  plodding  ox-teams.  The 
railway  connecting  Johannesburg  with  Cape  Town  was  completed 
in  1893. 

One  day  in  1885,  Johannes  Bezuidenhut,  a  glum,  stolid  Boer, 
stopped  on  the  site  of  the  town,  where  not  a  living  person  or  any  one 
beside  himself  was  within  miles,  and  in  his  slow,  ponderous  fashion, 
he  set  to  work  to  build  himself  a  hut.  There  he  stayed  until  in  time 
others  closed  in  around  him,  drawn  thither  by  the  discovery  of  gold. 
Thus  the  city  named  in  his  honor  was  founded. 

To-day  Johannesburg  throbs  and  hums  with  life,  for  its  thousands 
are  hustling  to  obtain  a  share  in  the  measureless  treasure  that  lies 
under  the  foundations  of  the  city.  The  people  number  about  200,000 
and  they  are  swayed  by  the  one  all-powerful,  resistless  ambition 
which  leads  men  to  brave  suffering,  hardship  and  death  in  every 
form.  The  city  contains  hundreds  of  fine  dwellings,  many  of  which 
form  magnificent  residences  of  stone  or  marble  that  would  do  credit 
to  any  city  in  our  own  country. 

Some  of  the  club  houses  are  palatial;  the  stock  exchange  is  majes- 
tic; the  city  has  five  fine  theaters  and  opera  houses;  first  class  hotels, 


248  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

where  thousands  of  guests  can  be  accommodated,  imposing  churches, 
museums,  hospitals,  electric  street  railways,  race  tracks  and  polo 
grounds,  with  numberless  gambling  houses,  never  closed  day  or  night, 
week  days  or  Sundays,  the  year  round. 

It  is  claimed  that  there  is  more  gold  underneath  Johannesburg 
than  the  world  ever  saw.  Within  a  circle  of  twenty  miles  from 
Market  Square,  there  was  taken  more  gold  in  1898  than  was  produced 
by  the  North  American  continent  and  more  than  was  mined  in 
Australia.  We  are  accustomed  to  think  of  the  Klondike  as  the  most 
productive  auriferous  region  yet  discovered,  but  all  the  product  of 
that  section  down  to  the  present  time  is  less  than  one-tenth  of  the 
gold  taken  from  the  South  African  mines  in  1898. 

The  total  output  for  the  year  1895  was  2,277,685  ounces,  which 
was  an  increase  of  250,000  ounces  on  1894,  and  of  about  800,000  ounces 
on  the  output  of  1893.  And  here  are  some  figures  whose  full  meaning 
is  beyond  our  grasp: 

The  total  record  of  the  Witwaterstrand  reef  on  which  Johannes- 
burg is  built,  already  exceeds  40,000,000  ounces  of  gold,  worth  more 
than  $800,000,000.  This  vast  sum  weighs  1,250  tons,  so  that  allowing 
fifty  tons  to  each  car  the  gold  production  of  the  district  would  load 
a  train  of  twenty-five  cars.  Moreover,  it  is  known  that  the  gold 
awaiting  extraction  is  worth  more  than  $4,000,000,000,  which,  follow- 
ing the  rule  just  named,  would  load  five  freight  trains  of  twenty-five 
cars  each.    It  is  useless  to  try  to  comprehend  these  astounding  figures. 

The  Boer  government  took  no  action  regarding  the  new  gold 
fields  until  July  18,  1886,  when  it  proclaimed  and  threw  open  nine 
farms.  In  November  of  the  following  year,  there  were  sixty-eight 
mining  companies  with  a  capital  of  $15,000,000;  in  January,  1890, 
there  were  540  gold  mining  companies,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of 


A  COUNTRY  OF  BOUNDLESS  POSSIBILITIES  249 

$35,000,000.  The  output  steadily  grew,  until  iu  the  month  of  May, 
1892,  the  mines  yielded  100,000  ounces,  and  this  has  increased  until 
in  the  month  of  August,  1899,  it  reached  482,108  ounces. 

The  gold  first  found  at  the  Rand  cropped  out  of  the  ground 
in  five  parallel  reefs,  whose  thickness  varied  from  one  inch  to  four 
feet.  The  southermost  reef  was  separated  from  the  northern  \)y  an 
average  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  first  claims 
were  400x150  feet,  the  latter  dimension  being  east  and  west  along 
the  reefs,  and  the  former  north  and  south  so  as  to  include  the  five 
outcrops.  It  was  not  until  two  or  three  years  later  that  a  remark- 
able fact  regarding  the  formation  of  the  gold-bearing  veins  was 
discovered.  This  was  that  the  veins  after  descending  some  two 
thousand  feet,  curved  away  and  ran  horizontally  in  a  southerly 
direction  to  a  distance  whose  extent  has  not  at  this  wi-iting  been 
learned.  This  discovery  was  a  source  of  wonderment  to  old  miners 
who  suspected  nothing  of  the  kind. 

Naturally  people  began  staking  off  claims  to  the  southward  and 
sinking  shafts.  Many  hundreds  of  these  were  pushed  to  a  depth  of 
2,000  feet,  and  in  every  instance  they  struck  the  rich  conglomerate 
and  brought  most  valuable  returns  for  the  labor.  Scores  upon 
scores  of  new  companies  were  formed  to  work  the  deep  levels,  miles 
from  the  outcrop  of  the  gold  itself. 

Now,  almost  the  first  question  that  occurred  to  men  interested 
in  developing  these  mines,  was- 

Whei'e  is  ihe  other  side  of  this  Ixisin-liki'  fornidtion  ? 

It  was  fair  to  suppose  that  at  some  unknown  distance,  perhaps 
hundreds  of  miles  away,  the  southern  edge  of  the  basin  came  up  again 
to  the  surface.    Wherever  that  was,  were  riches  beyond  estimate. 

There   have   been   determined  and  persistent  efforts  to  discover 


j-,()  Tllli:  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

til  is  tieasure,  parties  of  veteran  miners  penetrating  into  desolate 
wastes  where  they  were  the  first  white  men  to  tread,  but,  as  stated, 
llio  discovery  down  to  the  present  writing  has  not  been  made.  It 
was  the  mania  for  making  this  marvelous  find  that  led  to  the 
formation  of  the  British  South  African  Chartered  Company,  which 
is  largely  responsible  for  the  support  given  to  the  ambitious  schemes 
of  Cecil  Rhodes. 

American  genius  and  push  have  had  much  to  do  with  the 
building  of  Johannesburg  upon  the  foundation  of  its  mineral  w^ealth. 
The  managers,  superintendents  and  consulting  engineers  of  the  mines 
were  Americans  almost  to  a  man. 

"I  was  glad,"  writes  Mr.  Stowe,  in  his  report,  "to  find  that  Ameri- 
can ability  was  recognized  by  other  countries.  J.  C.  Manion,  United 
States  Consular  Agent,  has  been  the  means  of  introducing  American 
machinery  and  supplies  of  all  kinds  to  the  value  of  millions  of  dollars. 
For  twenty  miles  on  each  side  of  the  city  extend  the  headgears  and 
smokestacks  of  mines,  more  than  one  hundred  of  them,  which  have 
made  the  city  and  state  what  they  are,  and  enabled  President  Kruger 
to  sell  a  farm  for  $400,000  the  day  I  was  in  Johannesburg."  Some 
idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  mining  interests  is  afforded  by  Consul 
Stowe's  observations.  "Over  fifteen  tons  of  gold  per  month  is  the 
product  of  the  mines,  and  new  discoveries  are  reported  daily.  The 
main  reef  crops  out  at  the  surface  and  the  veins  dip  to  great  depth; 
some  of  the  shafts  are  going  down  to  3,200  feet  levels."  And  here  is 
another  incident  of  direct  bearing  upon  the  war:  "Complaints  are 
made  of  the  price  of  dynamite,  which  costs  70  shillings  ($17.03)  per 
case,  and  could  be  bought  outside  of  the  state  for  40  shillings  ($9.73). 
The  government  granted  the  concession  to  a  company,  which  makes 
thousands  of  pounds  sterling  out  of  it  annually.     A  concession  for  the 


A  COUNTRY  OF  B0UNDLES8  POSSIBILITIES  l^")! 

manufacture  of  candles  has  been  granted,  so  that  the  miners  will 
have  to  buy  of  the  home  manufacturer,  as  the  duty  is  prohibitive. 
The  railways,  I  was  told,  charge  for  freight  from  the  border  of 
Johannesburg,  a  distance  of  forty-seven  miles,  as  much  as  it  costs  to 
haul  from  the  seaports,  1,000  miles  away.  While  the  United  States 
cannot  now  compete  for  the  candle  trade,  I  am  pleased  to  state  that 
the  candle  factory  will  be  equipped  with  American  machinery 
throughout." 

The  next  place  visited  by  the  consul  was  Durban,  in  Natal,  the 
most  important  port  of  entry,  with  the  exception  of  Cape  Town,  on 
the  South  African  coast,  and  a  favorite  winter  resort  for  the  people  of 
Johannesburg.  The  imports  of  Durban,  for  January  and  February, 
1899,  were  27,367  tons,  valued  at  $530,826.  The  Americans  have  a 
large  and  growing  share  in  this  business.  The  following  incident 
related  by  Mr.  Stowe  is  significant: 

"A  Durban  merchant  said  to  me:  'I  recently  ordered  five  tons 
of  hoop  iron  of  a  European  manufacturer.  After  the  order  had  gone 
forward  one  of  your  American  salesmen  came  along  and  made  me 
a  price  ten  dollars  a  ton  less.  I  gave  him  an  order  for  five  tons 
and  then  tried  to  have  the  other  order  cancelled,  but  the  foreign 
house  refused,  saying  that  no  one  could  make  and  guarantee  a  first- 
class  article  at  the  price  named,  and  a  test  would  prove  it.  When 
the  iron  arrived  I  tested  both,  and  the  American  was  several  per 
cent,  better.' " 

Nothing  escaped  the  keen  eyes  of  Mr.  Stowe.  At  the  hotel  \vhere 
he  stayed,  the  doors  and  trimmings  and  even  electric  lights  were 
of  American  origin.  "In  fact,"  he  said,  "I  was,  during  my  whole 
trip,  all  the  time  putting  my  hand  on  something  American.  I  was 
told  that  our  screw  drivers,  hammers,  hatchets,  chisels,  etc.,  were  so 


\i:t)l 


\K  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


cheai),  tlioiigli  good,  that  it  did  not  pay  to  have  them  ground  or 
repaired— that  it  was  better  and  cheaper  to  buy  new  ones. 

The  consul  also  visited  Port  Elizabeth  and  Mossell  Bay.  In  the 
latter  port,  he  found  a  British  ship  discharging  a  cargo  of  1,000  tons 
of  rails  from  the  United  States  for  a  new  railroad.  Inquiry  showed 
that  American  goods  were  rapidly  growing  in  favor.  Commenting 
upon  the  telephone  service  in  different  South  African  cities,  Mr. 
Stowe  says:  "In  Kimberley  the  service  is  American  and  good;  in 
Johannesburg,  it  is  Dutch  and  everybody  continually  finds  fault ;  no 
service  after  five  o'clock,  and  a  year's  subscription,  about  seventy- 
five  dollars  a  month,  in  advance ;  in  Durban  it  is  German  and  fair." 

In  a  later  report,  dated  August  25,  1899,  Mr.  Stowe  says  that  the 
imports  at  Natal  during  the  preceding  ten  months  had  increased  by 
nearly  a  million  dollars,  and  those  from  Great  Britain  increased 
only  $678,983.  An  extensive  trade  in  American  fruit  and  shade  trees 
had  also  grown  up  and  there  is  an  active  demand  for  sprayers  and 
chemical  preparations  for  destroying  insects. 

The  Orange  Free  State,  which,  with  the  Transvaal,  forms  the  only 
two  independent  republics  in  South  Africa,  has  about  the  area  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  and  a  population  of  93,000  whites  and  140,000 
natives  of  the  Basuto  and  Barolong  tribes.  Bloemfontein,  750  miles 
north  of  Table  Bay,  450  miles  north  Port  Elizabeth,  and  400  miles 
north  of  East  London  is  the  capital.  It  consists  of  an  elevated  table 
land  4.0(M)  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and  is  400  miles  long  by  200 
miles  wide.  The  southern  part  is  dotted  with  kopjes  or  individual 
hills,  but  otherwise  the  interior  consists  of  undulating  prairies,  which 
■were  formerly  covered  with  coarse  grass,  but  this  is  now  changed  to 
a  scrubby  brush  or  copse,  which  affords  excellent  grazing  for  sheep, 
much  better  than  the  coarse  and  sour  grasses  in  different  places. 


A  COUNTRY  OF  BOUNDLESS  POSSllilLlTlES  253 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  Orange  Free  State  is  virtually  a 
treeless  country.  The  wood  found  on  the  hill  sides  and  in  the  moist 
valleys  of  the  rivers  is  a  scant  scrub  or  mimosa  thorn,  the  wild 
olive,  the  willow,  and  the  camel  thorn,  which  is  a  species  of  wild 
acacia.  Naturally  the  chief  lands  are  best  adapted  to  pastoral 
purposes,  but  a  30x100  mile  strip  of  land  on  the  Basutoland  border 
has   no   superior  in   the   world   for  grain   producing   purposes. 

Because  their  principal  labor  consists  of  stock  raising  and  grain 
growing  the  burghers  have  plenty  of  leisure  to  devote  to  war.  The 
fertile  strip  referred  to,  without  irrigation  or  fertilizing,  yields  from 
thirty  to  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre,  after  forty  consecutive  years  of 
cultivation.  This  strip  was  taken  from  the  Basutos  in  1864  and  is 
known  as  the  Conquered  Territory.  It  forms  the  granary  of  the 
Orange  Free  State  and  of  the  Transvaal.  It  not  only  produces  wheat, 
oats,  barley,  maize  and  Kaffir  corn,  but  carries  large  herds  of  cattle, 
liorses,  sheep,  angora  goats  and  ostriches.  Pears,  apples,  peaches  and 
grapes,  are  also  largely  grown.  The  tract  derives  its  greatest 
importance  from  its  being  the  Boer  base  of  supplies.  The  mountains 
facing  British  South  Africa  are  relied  upon,  supplemented  by  Boer 
strategy  and  bravery,  to  hold  the  great  prize  inviolate  against  all 
enemies  of  the  twin  republics. 

Diamonds  are  plentifully  mined  in  the  Orange  Free  State.  It 
was  on  the  fields  of  Jagersfontein  that  the  famous  900  carat  Jagers- 
fontein  Excelsior  was  found  in  May,  1893.  The  precious  stones  are 
also  obtained  at  Koffyfontein  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  Republic. 
The  output  of  the  Jagersfontein  field  for  January,  1899,  was  15,189 
carats,  valued  at  $150,000  and  that  of  Koffyfontein  for  the  same 
period  was  1,500  carats,  worth  $11,000. 

There  is  a  marked  similarity  between  the  characteristics  of  the 


or,4  TllK  STOIIY  OF  SOUTH  AFIIICA 

people  of  t.he  two  r«^publics.  In  the  Free  State,  they  are  peaceful, 
educated,  well-governed  and  passionately  devoted  to  their  country, 
wliicli  is  divided  into  nineteen  districts,  each  of  which  is  presided 
()V(M-  l»y  :i  landdrost  or  magistrate.  Every  district  is  subdivided  into 
one,  two  or  more  wards,  according  to  size  or  imJ)ortance,  and  each 
ward  sends  a  member  to  the  Volksraad  or  Legislature.  In  addition, 
every  town  also  elects  a  member  of  the  Volksraad,  to  which  is 
delegated  the  government  of  the  country.  The  President,  w^ho  is  the 
responsible  head  of  the  executive  department,  is  advised  by  an 
Executive  Council  and  by  the  High  Court,  composed  of  a  chief 
justice  and  two  puisne  judges. 

About  $2,000,000  is  obtained  annually  from  the  revenue  of  the 
State  for  the  support  of  the  government.  These  sources  are  mainly 
as  follows :  quit  rent  on  farms  at  the  rate  of  forty-eight  cents  for  each 
100  morgen,  or  200  acres;  transfer  dues  on  unmovable  or  fixed 
property,  at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent.;  a  two  per  cent,  rate  on 
movables,  that  is,  all  goods  sold  by  auction;  a  hut  or  capitation 
tax  of  $2.50  a  head  on  natives.  The  custom  house  yields  about 
$600,000  annually,  from  a  twelve  per  cent,  ad  valorem  levy  on  all 
over-sea  goods  crossing  the  border.  Through  a  treaty  with  the  Cape 
Colony  Government  these  dues  are  levied  at  the  ports  of  Cape 
Colony.  They  are  also  levied  on  the  Natal  border  by  Orange  Free 
State  officers  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  customs 
union  existing  between  the  Cape  Government  and  the  Free  State. 
The  former  retains  three  per  cent,  of  the  twelve  per  cent,  duty 
to  recoup  itself  for  the  expense  of  collecting  these  dues  for  the 
Republic. 

Each  year  the  Orange  Free  State  expends  about  $150,000  on 
roads.  §300.000   on    bridges    and    comparatively   large    amounts    for 


ARTILLERY  CROSSING  THE  KLIP  RIVER. 


THE  TRANSVAAL  CRISIS-LADYSMITH  CAMP,  NATAL,  MARCH,  1899. 


A  COUNTRY  OF  BOUNDLESS  POSSIBILITIES  257 

public  buildings.  It.  is  a  creditable  fact  that  about  one-third  of  th ' 
whole  revenue  of  the  State  is  used  for  educational  grants  and  public 
works.  The  school  system  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world.  The 
majority  of  the  people  are  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church, 
which  is  the  established  religion  of  the  country.  Nearly  every  little 
village  has  its  congregation  and  the  government  contributes  about 
S40,000  annually  for  the  support  of  that  religion,  which  is  paid  into 
the  church  synod  to  be  used  as  that  body  deems  proper.  Other 
religious  denominations  which  have  churches  in  the  Orange  Free 
State  are:  Episcopalians,  Lutherans,  Catholics,  Methodists,  Baptists 
and  Presbyterians,  though  their  individual  membership  is  small.  The 
Separatist  Dutch  Church  has  a  number  of  important  congregations 
at  different  places  in  the  country. 

Because  of  its  greater  altitude  the  climate  is  drier  than  that 
of  its  neighbors.  It  is  therefore  healthful  for  persons  with  weak 
lungs,  corresponding  in  that  respect  to  the  southwestern  states  of 
our  own  country.  The  dry  season  is  in  the  winter  time,  but  the 
periods  of  rain  and  moisture  are  uncertain.  The  evaporation  from 
the  lower  countries  is  often  condensed  on  the  plateau  and  causes 
sudden  and  enormous  overflows  of  the  streams.  In  the  winter  time, 
the  rivers  are  shallow  and  almost  cease  to  flow,  sometimes  shrink- 
ing to  ^hat  are  called  "pans,"  with  drifts  or  fords  in  places.  These 
peculiar  water  basins  are  found  in  the  middle  veldt  or  watershed 
territory,  between  any  two  rivers,  and  are  occasionally  salt  or 
brackish.  They  are  most  numerous  in  the  Bloemfontein,  Jacobsdal, 
Fauresmith  and  Boshof  districts.  One  of  these  large,  circular  depres- 
sions, the  Hagans-Pan,  is  worked  by  a  salt  company,  wliirh  sells  the 
product  in  Johannesburg.  A  scientific  analysis  has  shown  that  this 
salt  has  no  superior  in  the  world.     Lest  the  reader  should  form  an 

14 


258  THK  STOFtY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

incorrect  idea  of  the  size  of  the  pan  referred  to,  it  may  be  said 
that  it  is  two  miles  across. 

The  rivers  of  the  Orange  Free  State  are  not  navigable,  but 
they  are  well  stocked  with  fish,  some  of  which,  so  far  as  know^n, 
are  found  nowhere  else.  Among  these  is  the  barber,  which  grows 
to  the  length  of  seven  feet,  has  no  scales  and  very  few  bones.  Its 
head  is  large  and  ungainly,  and  it  has  eight  cirri-feelers  on  the 
lower  lip.  The  yellow  fish,  occasionally  reaching  a  weight  of  twenty 
pounds,  is  found  in  all  the  Free  State  waters.  Others  are  the 
whitefish,  calveshead  and  the  undermouth,  while  the  iguana  and 
the  river  turtle  abound.  Lying  north  of  the  Transvaal,  there  are 
few  large  wild  animals  found  in  the  Free  State.  The  most  common 
are  antelopes,  wildebests,  olesboks,  anteaters,  wildcats,  miercats, 
hedgehogs,  porcupines,  jackals,  hyenas,  armadillos  and  wild  dogs, 
the  last  being  almost  extinct. 

Among  the  important  laws  governing  the  Orange  Free  State 
are  those  for  the  establishment  of  high  and  low^  courts  for  the  trial 
of  causes;  the  making  of  the  Dutch  language  (1854)  the  official 
language  of  the  State,  and  the  Commando  law  regulating  the  calling 
out  of  the  burghers  in  time  of  war.  Under  this  law,  every  male 
inhabitant  between  sixteen  and  sixty  years  is  subject  to  call  and 
conscription.  The  number  thus  made  available  in  1899  was  about 
23,000.  The  holding  of  burgher  reviews  (wapenschouuings)  takes 
place  in  time  of  peace  once  every  four  years  in  every  district,  and 
yearly  in  each  ward  or  sub-district.  Every  man  between  the  age  of 
eighteen  and  forty  is  obliged  to  attend  these  encampments  armed  and 
mounted,  but  the  townspeople  are  relieved  from  the  obligation  of 
attending  mounted.  Each  burgher  is  furnished  by  the  government 
with  a  rifle  at  actual  cost,  which  is  twenty  dollars  or  slightly  more. 


A  COUNTKY  OF  BOUNDLESS  POSSIBILITIES  25<) 

As  has  been  said,  the  people  resemble  in  many  respects  their 
neighbors  of  the  Transvaal.  They  are  simple,  sincere  and  honest  in 
their  dealings,  and  when  a  visitor  is  believed  to  be  worthy,  he  is 
treated  with  the  hospitality  and  kindness  of  a  son.  They  are  very 
moral,  and  the  guest  who  violates  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by 
the  parents  of  a  daughter,  is  pretty  sure  to  pay  the  penalty  with 
his  life. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


A    ROYAL    HUNTING   GROUND 


For  many  years,  South  Africa  was  royal  hunting  ground  for  the 
most  intrepid  and  skillful  marksmen  of  the  world.  The  exploits  of 
Gordon  Gumming  and  scores  of  others  equally  skilled  and  daring, 
in  their  chase  after  lions,  elephants,  hippopotami,  rhinoceroses  and 
numerous  other  specimens  of  large  game,  have  heen  of  a  thrilliug 
character.  North  of  the  region  and  under  the  equator  is  the  habitat 
of  the  gorilla,  discovered  by  De  Chaillu,  which  in  some  respects  is 
the  most  terrible  creature  that  haunts  the  forests,  since  its  ferocity 
is  resistless  and  its  strength  incredible. 

There  were  many  sections  in  the  southern  part  of  the  continent 
that  were  uninhabitable  because  of  the  savage  lions,  just  as  in  some 
portions  of  India,  man  has  been  driven  out  by  the  tiger.  When 
the  Boers  migrated  from  Cape  Colony  to  the  Transvaal,  they  were 
obliged  to  clear  the  way  by  killing  thousands  of  lions.  The  number, 
there  is  good  reason  to  believe,  was  fully  6,000,  and  the  slaying  was 
a  necessity  in  order  to  make  life  secure. 

Among  the  most  noted  of  these  lion  killers  was  President  Kruger, 
then  a  powerful  and  active  young  man.  The  incident  has  been  told 
many  times  of  his  attacking  a  fierce  lion  single-handed  when  armed 
with  only  a  hunting  knife.  Indeed,  he  gained  the  well-earned  rep- 
utation of  being  the  greatest  lion  kill(M-  ;unong  his  people,  and  even 
now,  though  well  advanced  in  years,  there  are  few  who  can  surpass 
him  in  the  skill  with  which  he  handles  a  rifle. 

Since  our  own  rountry  i)roduces  many  of  the  greatest  hunters 

(Ml) 


•J(VJ 


TIIK  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


in  tli(>  world,  il  ni;iy  l)e  interesting  to  give  some  information  of 
South  Africa,  as  ji  hunting  field.  The  most  accessible  grounds,  under 
ordinary  circuuKstances,  are  in  the  east  and  south  of  the  Transvaal. 
From  May  to  November  is  the  favorable  time,  for  then  little  rain 
falls  and  the  season  is  healthful. 

Second  to  the  Transvaal,  is  that  portion  of  Portuguese  territory 
to  the  northward  of  the  Pungine  River,  and  almost  touching  Beira. 
It  teems  with  quail,  guinea  fowl,  sand  grouse,  snipe,  wild  duck,  wild 
geese,  rails,  widgeon  and  teal.  And  next  to  these  hunting  sections 
comes  the  region  lying  some  forty  miles  to  the  north  and  north- 
west of  Fort  Salisbury,  which  is  about  four  hundred  miles  from 
Mafeking,  and  has  an  elevation  of  5,000  feet.  There  the  roan 
antelope  and  sable  are  found  in  limitless  numbers. 

Experienced  hunters  generally  start  from  either  Kimberley  or 
Pretoria,  because  the  supplies  are  more  readily  obtained  there  than 
at  most  other  points.  One  of  the  greatest  drawbacks  is  the  trans- 
portation from  place  to  place.  It  is  necessary  to  have  a  tent  wagon 
and  a  team  of  twelve  to  sixteen  oxen.  These  wagons  are  broad 
and  strong,  without  springs,  and  fitted  with  extensive  lockers  for 
provisions  and  blankets,  and  being  closed  in  with  canvas,  furnish 
sleeping  accommodations. 

The  cost  of  an  outfit  ranges  from  $800  to  $1,500.  The  horse 
needed  by  each  member  costs  $75.  The  animals  known  as  "salted" 
horses,  or  those  recovered  from  horse  sickness,  and  absolutely  indis- 
pensable, if  the  trip  is  extended  beyond  the  winter,  cost  as  much 
as  $300  each. 

Another  serious  handicap  to  hunters  after  small  game  is  the 
lack  of  good  dogs,  and  the  principal  cause  of  this  scarcity  is  that 
the   mail    boat-s   from    England   to   Cape   Town   charge   $26  for  the 


A  ROYAL  HUNTING  UKOUND  263 

importation  of  each  hunting  dog.  There  are  plenty  of  mongrels 
but  they  are  not  worth  much.  One  of  the  most  experienced  of 
hunters,  when  asked  about  hunting  in  this  comparatively  unknown 
territory,  said: 

"English  sportsmen  have  but  little  conception  of  the  diversity 
of  feathered  game  that  lies  everywhere  at  hand  in  South  Africa, 
or  I  imagine  that  Cape  Colony  would  be  much  more  exploited  by 
fowlers  than  it  has  been  hitherto. 

I  have  seen  within  the  colony  alone  no  less  than  six  kinds 
of  francolins,  seven  kinds  of  bustards,  two  species  of  quail,  two  of 
guinea  fowl,  two  of  the  sand  grouse  family,  and  two  sorts  of  snipe. 
I  have  seen  many  species  of  rails,  teal,  widgeon  and  wild  duck,  and 
wild  geese  abound." 

The  value  of  ostrich  feathers  has  caused  the  bird  to  be  hunted 
so  persistently  that  it  will  probably  soon  become  extinct,  though 
it  is  still  found  in  considerable  numbers  to  the  north  of  the  Orange 
and  Vaal  Rivers.  The  Kori  bustard,  called  "gompauw"  by  the 
Boers,  is  next  in  size  to  the  ostrich,  its  more  common  name  being 
"gum  peacock,"  because  of  its  supposed  fondness  for  the  gum  of 
the  moniosa  tree.  The  male  bird  weighs  sixty  or  seventy  pounds 
and  reaches  a  height  of  five  feet.  The  "koorhaan"  is  another 
species  of  bustard,  hard  to  shoot  because  of  its  great  fleetness,  and 
its  croak  is  as  grating  to  tlie  ears  as  the  filing  of  a  saw. 

The  eland  is  the  largest  of  the  antelopes,  but  only  a  few  are 
found  south  of  the  Limpopo.  It  weighs  half  a  ton,  and  its  length 
from  horns  to  base  of  tail  is  nearly  nine  feet,  with  a  height  at  the 
shoulders  of  five  feet,  nine  inches,  and  with  horns  two  feet,  ten 
inches  long.  Its  meat  is  excellent,  and  the  animal  is  so  unsuspicious 
that  it  is  easily  killed.     The  most   numerous  of  the   large  antelopes 


•JG4  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

is  the  koodoo.  The  bontebok,  often  referred  to  as  the  ''harnessed 
antelope"  is  found  in  considerable  numbers  in  the  Transvaal  and 
Hechuanaland,  but  is  practically  extinct  in  Cape  Colony  and  the 
Free  State. 

Huntinjif  the  gemsbok  is  always  exciting  sport.  Its  habitat  is 
to  the  north  of  Cape  Colony,  in  the  Kalahari  Desert,  and  in  the 
German  possessions  to  the  north  of  the  Orange  River.  It  is  very 
powerful  and  vicious,  with  sharp  horns,  three  feet  long.  Many 
instances  are  known  of  this  daring  animal,  not  four  feet  high 
at  the  shoulders,  killing  a  full  grown  lion.  You  can  see  to-day  in 
a  sporting  house  at  Pretoria  the  skeleton  of  a  lion  impaled  on  the 
keen-pointed  horns  of  a  gemsbok.  The  Oryx  appears  in  the  Cape 
coat  of  arms,  and  is  said  to  be  the  original  of  the  unicorn,  the 
two  horns,  viewed  in  profile,  appearing  as  one. 

The  haartebeest  (meaning  stag  ox),  the  zwaart  wildebeest,  or 
black  wild  ox,  though  really  a  white-tailed  gnu,  and  vaal  are 
plentiful  in  the  mountain  ranges  of  the  Colony  and  Natal  and  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Orange  River.  The  shy  rliebok  is  so  fleet  of 
foot  that  it  is  one  of  the  hardest  of  tasks  to  run  it  down.  It  is  five 
feet  long,  only  half  as  high,  and  weighs  450  pounds.  Almost  equally 
hard  to  run  down  is  the  sturdy  klipspringer,  found  only  in  the  most 
rugged  mountains.  It  resembles  the  English  rock-buck  and  is  often 
referred  to  as  the  klipbok. 

In  the  bushy  sections  browse  the  ducker  and  steeu.  The  word 
'ducker"  means  diver  and  the  animal  gets  its  name  from  its  habit  of 
plunging  like  a  diver  into  the  thickest  bushes  upon  hearing  the  least 
noise.  This,  added  to  its  dark-brown  color,  makes  it  one  of  the  most 
diflBcult  of  all  games  to  bag. 

Among  the  smallest  and   most  beautiful  antelopes  is  the  steen 


A  ROYAL  HUNTING  GROUND  267 

bok,  the  name  meaning  "stone  goat."  The  bosch  bok,  or  bush  buck, 
because  of  its  slowness  of  movement,  is  easily  secured,  and  when  at 
bay,  barks  like  a  dog.  The  springbok,  or  jumping  goat,  is  the  most 
numerous  of  the  antelope  family  and  herds  of  them  are  met  in 
the  mountains. 

Those  who  do  not  like  hunting  the  elephant,  lion,  leopard, 
rhinoceros  and  hippopotamus  can  try  their  skill  upon  the  wolf, 
hyena,  jackal,  wild  dog,  wild  hog,  giraffe,  zebra  and  baboon.  Many 
experienced  hunters  consider  the  buffalo,  with  his  terrible  horns, 
speed,  courage  and  ferocity,  the  most  formidable  of  all  wild  animals. 
"I  would  rather  stand  within  fifty  paces  of  a  Boer  rifleman,"  said 
a  veteran,  "and  have  him  take  dead  aim  at  my  chest,  than  to 
stand  that  distance  unarmed  before  a  buffalo,  without  any  refuge 
within  reach ;  for  the  gun  might  miss  fire,  but  there  would  be  no 
escape  from  the  buffalo."  It  requires  special  permission  to  shoot 
the  animal  in  the  Colony  or  Natal. 

The  South  African  lions  are  the  finest  in  the  world,  having 
double  the  strength  of  the  ordinary  lion.  The  gray-necked  is  the 
most  ferocious,  is  forty-eight  inches  high  at  the  shoulder,  weighs 
six  hundred  pounds,  and  is  twelve  feet  from  nose  to  tail  tip.  It 
can  clear  eighteen  paces  at  a  bound,  and  has  leaped  an  ordinary 
wall  with  a  fair-sized  bullock  in  its  mouth. 

Few  elephants  remain  in  the  Colony  or  Transvaal.  In  1^75. 
the  export  of  ivory  from  Cape  Colony  was  more  than  $800,()0<>, 
while  to-day  it  is  less  than  $10,000.  The  animals  are  the  largest  in 
the  world.  Those  of  our  readers  who  can  recall  "Jumbo,"  wiiich 
P.  T.  T^arnuni  Inought  to  this  country  some  years  ago,  will  never 
'forget  his  stupendous  size.  One  of  the  peculiarities  of  these  beasts 
is  tlieir  enormous  ears.     When  an  elephant    kneels   on    the   groinid 


o,;y  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

(lining  a  rain  storm,  his  keeper  readily  finds  secure  shelter  behind 
one  of  these  gigantic  flaps.  In  charging,  a  bull  elephant  has  a 
way  of  spreading  his  ears  horizontally,  like  immense  fins.  From 
tip  to  tip  across  the  forehead,  the  distance  is  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet.  Tusks  have  been  taken  weighing  300  pounds,  but  the  weight 
is  generally  about  half  of  that.  The  heaviest  rifles,  naturally,  are 
required  to  hunt  the  elephant.  The  Boers  are  fond  of  the  old 
smooth-bore  "roer"  which  cames  a  four-ounce  spherical  bullet,  the 
gun  itself  weighing  thirty  pounds.  The  choice  of  weapons,  however, 
is  a  matter  of  taste  with  the  hunter. 

While  the  Boers  did  excellent  work  in  ridding  the  country  of 
lions,  they  offset  it  by  the  ruthless  destruction  of  the  harmless  and 
graceful  giraffe,  from  Cape  Colony  to  the  Bottetti  River.  These 
animals  were  the  most  abundant  game  in  the  Transvaal,  Orange 
Free  State  and  Matabeleland,  and  their  wholesale  destruction  was 
prompted  by  gain,  for  their  skins  brought  from  ten  to  twenty 
dollars. 

The  giraffe,  or  camelopard,  is  a  remarkable  creature,  whose 
appearance  is  too  familiar  to  be  described,  but  it  has  some  peculiar- 
ities that  are  not  commonly  understood.  Its  horns  differ  both  in 
texture  and  shape  from  those  of  all  other  horned  quadrupeds, 
seeming  to  form  a  part  of  the  skull  and  consisting  of  two  porous, 
bony  substances,  about  three  inches  long,  with  which  the  top  of  the 
head  is  armed,  and  which  are  placed  just  above  the  ears  and  crowned 
with  a  thick  tuft  of  stiff,  upright  hairs.  A  considerable  protuberance 
also  rises  on  the  middle  of  the  forehead  between  the  eyes,  which 
seems  to  be  an  enlargement  of  the  bony  substance  and  resembles 
the   insignificant   horns   mentioned. 

There  have   been   wild    giraffes   that    measured  seventeen   feet 


A  KOYAL  HUNTING  GROUND  269 

from  the  top  of  the  head  to  the  forefeet,  but  none  of  that  altitude 
have  ever  been  seen  in  captivity.  An  inspection  of  the  animal 
will  show  that  its  forelegs  are  not  so  much  greater  than  the 
hind  ones  in  length  as  at  first  appears,  the  seeming  disparity 
being  due  to  the  extraordinary   height  of  the   shoulders. 

The  giraffe  seldom  brings  its  head  down  to  the  ground,  except 
when  it  wishes  to  drink,  and  then  it  is  obliged  to  spread  its 
front  legs  far  apart  and  bend  its  neck  in  a  semi-circular  form. 
At  such  times,  its  appearance  is  grotesquely  awkward.  The  eyes 
are  large,  dark  and  lustrous,  and  with  so  mild  an  expression  that 
more  than  one  veteran  hunter  has  been  touched  with  pity  at 
sight  of  the  creature  lying  on  the  ground  and  breathing  out  its 
life,  without  the  least  attempt  at  resistance  or  revenge  upon  the 
one   who   has   thus   brought   him   low. 

Nevertheless,  the  animal  is  capable  of  putting  up  a  stout  fight 
against  its  four-footed  enemies.  The  tiny  horns  are  by  no  means 
the  insignificant  weapons  they  appear  to  be,  and  the  owner  can 
strike  a  crushing  blow,  which  he  does,  not  by  suddenly  depressing 
and  elevating  its  head,  like  the  bull  or  ram,  ])ut  by  means  of  a 
sidelong  sweep  of  the  neck.  Its  chief  weapon  is  its  hind  legs,  with 
which  it  can  kick,  not  only  with  amazing  vigor,  but  so  rapidly 
that  the  eye  can  hardly  follow  the  movements.  Hunters  tell  of 
seeing  it  beat  off  the  lion  by  means  of  these  lightning-like  blows. 

Rarely  or  never  has  a  giraffe  made  resistance  to  a  hunter. 
The  animal  is  in  truth  absolutely  defenceless  against  him,  its  only 
recourse  being  in  flight,  though  it  can  dodge  rapidly  from  tree  to 
tree  in  the  woods;  but  its  form  makes  it  so  prominent  an  object 
tliat  it  is  one  of  the  most  easily  hunted  animals  in  existence.  So 
it  was,  that   its  slaying  lost  the  nature  of  sport  to  the  Boers,  who 


O70  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

valued  the  animcals  solely  for  their  hides.  More  than  50,000  were 
killed  and  the  few  survivors  driven  north.  They  were  pot-hunted, 
shot  down  in  droves  and  destroyed  wholesale.  It  was  not  an 
uncommon  thing  for  a  hunter  to  kill  forty  or  fifty  of  the  graceful 
animals  in  a  single  day,  and.  inevitably  their  fate  became  that  of 
the  ])nfPalo  in  our  own  country.  Where  tens  of  thousands  of  these 
animals  roamed  over  our  prairies  a  few  years  ago,  not  one  of  them 
is  found  to-day. 

The  hide  of  the  giraffe,  as  has  been  shown,  was  the  cause  of 
its  lamentable  destruction.  Occasionally,  the  bullet  of  the  hunter 
failed  to  kill,  for  the  skin  in  some  places  is  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  thick  and  exceedingly  tough.  The  hide,  when  cured  and  tanned, 
forms  good  leather  for  certain  purposes.  From  it,  the  Boers  make 
riding  whips  and  saddles,  but  by  far  the  larger  portion  of  the  skins 
are  sent  to  Europe.  It  should  not  be  forgotten  also  that  the  leg 
bones  have  a  commercial  value,  for  they  are  solid,  instead  of  hollow 
as  is  the  case  with  most  other  animals,  and  are  therefore  useful 
for  manufacturing  buttons  and  other  articles.  The  tendons  are 
astonishingly  strong,  because  of  which  they  have  also  a  pecuniary 
value. 

From  what  has  been  stated,  it  will  be  seen  that  South  Africa 
possesses  many  attractions  to  our  countrymen,  a  fact  which  had 
caused  thousands  to  emigrate  thither,  and  which  will  doubtless  be 
the  cause  of  many  more  thousands  seeking  their  fortune  in  the 
southern  port  ion  of  the  Dark  Continent. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE    SOUTH    AFRICAN    QUESTION    FROM    THE    TRANSVAAL 
POINT   OF    VIEW 

When  two  nations  go  to  war  over  a  question  that  has  risen 
between  them  and  thousands  of  lives  are  lost  and  millions  of 
treasure  expended,  it  follows  as  a  matter  of  course  that  the  question 
has  two  sides,  and  that  the  supporters  of  each  believe  they  have 
the  monopol}^  of  right  and  justice.  In  her  disputations  with  the 
Transvaal  Republic,  England  brought  foi-ward  a  plentitude  of  argu- 
ments to  justify  her  position.  These  were  met  with  vigor,  by  the 
Boers,  who  were  equally  insistent,  as  was  proven  when  they  struck 
the  first  blow  in  defence  of  their  principles. 

Now,  however  deeply  we  may  sympathize  with  the  cause  of 
either  party,  it  is  our  duty  as  historians  to  be  impartial  and  to 
give  the  view^s  of  each.  Accordingly,  we  have  selected  as  the 
Transvaal  argument,  the  paper  by  Dr.  F.  V.  Engelenbiirg,  editor  of 
the  Pretoria  Volksstem,  which  appeared  in  the  North  American  Review, 
for  October,  1899. 

"South  Africa  is  poor,  extremely  poor,  in  spite  of  its  gold 
output  of  nearly  two  millions  per  month  and  its  diamond  export 
of  five  millions  per  year. 

Tlie  disabilities  from  which  South  Africa  suffers  are  manifold. 
The  climate  is  glorious,  the  soil  fertile,  but  the  rainfall  is  uncertain 
and  irregular  There  are  large  tracts  where  rain  falls  only  once 
every  four  or  five  years;  and,  where  circumstances  are  more  favor- 
able, there  are  no  natural  reservoirs  in  which  water  can  be  stored, 

(271) 


t>72  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

or  certainly  none  to  any  appreciable  extent.  The  rivers,  dry  in 
summer  time,  become  foaming  torrents  in  the  rainy  season,  and 
pour  the  whole  of  their  waters  into  the  sea.  If  the  Witwatersrand 
were  not  situated  alongside  an  extensive  formation  of  dolomite, 
which  absorbs  rainwater,  and  stores  it  up  like  a  sponge,  it  would 
have  been  utterly  impossible  for  its  unrivalled  gold  industry  to 
attain  its  present  condition,  and  the  Boers  to-day  would  be  enjoying 
the  rest  and  peace  which  they  have  ever  longed  for  and  deserve. 
In  addition  to  the  dearth  of  water.  South  Africa  has  had  to 
contend  with  many  other  drawbacks,  resulting  from  its  clumsy  topo- 
graphical configuration.  On  its  northern  confines,  it  is  defenceless 
against  the  ravages  of  nature,  which  sweep  like  a  whirlwind  through 
the  whole  of  the  southern  continent.  From  olden  days,  Africa  has 
been  known  as  the  land  of  plagues  and  calamities.  Rinderpest  sweeps 
down  from  the  north,  and  its  latest  attack,  in  1896,  brought  ruin  to 
both  white  and  black;  from  the  north,  too,  come  the  locusts  and 
other  noxious  insects;  from  the  north,  come  the  hot  tropical  winds, 
bringing  drought  and  warding  off  the  beneficent  rain;  and  from  the 
north  have  many  clouds  arisen  casting  sinister  shadows  on  this 
pai-t  of  the  continent.  The  clumsy  configuration  of  South  Africa, 
to  whicli  I  have  alluded,  is  the  natural  result  of  its  plateau-form, 
witli  its  abrupt  descent  to  the  Indian  Ocean.  The  region  is  devoid 
of  navigable  rivers;  the  seacoast  is  an  endless,  monotonous  line 
without  fiords,  without  estuaries,  without  inlets  of  any  kind,  and 
therefore  without  harbors.  The  west  coast  is,  moreover,  separated 
from  the  interior  by  wastes  of  sand  dunes;  the  east  coast  is  unhealthy 
and  haunted  by  the  tsetse  fly.  No  wonder  that  Phoenicians,  Arabs 
and  Portuguese,  after  their  first  experience  of  the  country,  had  little 
inclination  to  colonize   it.   and   to  make  it  their  home.     The   only 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OV  VIKW  273 

white  men  who  manage  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  exigencies  of  the 
southern  continent  and  build  up  a  stalwart  nation  are  the  Afrikanders. 
They  are  destined  to  occup}^  the  land  forever,  and  to  thrive  here 
when  diamonds  and  gold  shall  be  things  of  the  past. 

And  the  blacks?  I  have  already  said  that  South  Africa  is  poor,  and 
has  never  possessed  any  large  population,  for  the  reason  that  it  could 
not  support  it.  The  Bushmen  live  like  beasts  of  prey  in  the  wilder- 
ness; the  Hottentots  were  subject  to  continuous  decimation  through 
sickness  and  famine.  When  the  warlike  Zulus,  several  centuries  ago, 
came  down  along  the  east  coast,  they  drove  before  them  the  few 
handfuls  of  human  beings  they  encountered,  like  leaves  before  the 
wind,  became  master  of  the  best  sub-tropical  portion  of  the  eastern 
provinces,  murdering  and  slaying  like  swarthy  Huns,  and  pressed 
down  to  Natal.  But  although  their  social  organization  was  higher 
than  that  of  the  nomadic  tribes  which  they  superseded,  the  poverty 
of  South  Africa  constrained  them  to  continue  war  amongst  them- 
selves. As  soon  as  one  Zulu  tribe  commenced  to  thrive  and  increase 
in  wealth  of  cattle,  it  became  necessary  to  obtain  more  land — in 
other  words,  to  wage  war  against  its  neighbors;  for  Soutli  Africa 
was  not  able  to  give  shelter  to  any  dense  population.  That  is  why 
the  Zulus  could  only  manage  to  exist  either  by  internecine  strife 
or  by  occasional  emigration,  to  the  natural  detriment  of  the  weaker 
races.  Both  the  legendary  and  documentary  history  of  South  Africa's 
blacks  tends  to  prove  that,  when  sickness  had  not  to  be  reckoned 
with,  war  inevitably  became  the  means  of  reducing  the  population 
of  this  region  to  its  normal  sustaining  capacity.  In  recent  years. 
the  supremacy  of  the  whites  has  materially  affected  internecine  war 
as  a  limiting  factor  with  regard  to  native  population;  but  its  place 
has  been  filled  in  some  measure  by  disease  and  drink.     There  is  no 


2U  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

(luiil)t,  Iiowever,  that  the  black  population  is  greatly  on  the  increase, 
now  that  they  are  not  permitted  to  indulge  in  war  amongst  them- 
selves. But.  at  the  same  time,  the  importation  of  foreign  "mealies" 
(maize)— the  staple  food  of  the  Kaffirs— has  also  steadily  increased; 
in  1897,  the  South  African  Republic  imported  nearly  36  million 
pounds  of  mealies;  in  1898,  the  total  importation  had  risen  to  over 
44^  millions.  There  will  come  a  day  when  the  natives  will  cease 
to  get  work  at  the  mines — when  the  mines  will  be  exhausted.  Then 
the  importation  of  South  American  cereals  will  fall  off,  and  South 
Africa  will  be  expected  to  provide  food  for  its  own  native  popula- 
tion. Will  it  be  equal  to  the  task?  The  history  of  the  past 
supplies  an  eloquent  answer. 

But  with  the  industrious  European  colonist,  schooled  and 
disciplined  by  labor,  can  South  Africa  not  produce  what  is  neces- 
sary for  his  support?  The  white  population  of  this  part  of  the 
world  amounts,  in  round  numbers,  to  two  millions — a  very  generous 
estimate — inhabiting  a  vast  extent  of  country,  larger  than  France, 
Germany  and  Italy  together.  This  population  is  dependent  on  the 
outside  world,  not  merely  for  the  products  of  technical  industry, 
but  also  for  those  of  agriculture.  We  import  potatoes  and  frozen 
meat  from  Australia,  wood  from  Canada  and  Norway,  eggs  and 
butter  from  Europe,  meal  and  mules  from  America.  The  sugar  and 
tea  grown  in  Natal  cannot  compete  with  the  products  of  Mauritius 
and  Ceylon,  without  the  aid  of  protection.  In  order  that  these  two 
millions  of  whites  may  be  commercially  accessible  to  the  outside 
world,  and  that  this  huge  import  trade  may  be  practicable,  more 
than  fifty  million  pounds  sterling  have  been  devoted  to  railway 
construction.  Every  week  sees  numerous  steamers  arriving  from 
all  parts  of  thp  world,  laden  with  every  conceivable  kind  of  goods, 


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WAR  BALLOON. 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  VIEW  277 

to  supply  the  limited  South  Afiicau  community  with  many  neces- 
saries of  life.  Should  this  ine;ins  of  supply  ever  l)e  cut  off,  a  large 
portion  of  our  white  and  other  i)o[)ulation  would  simply  starve,  or 
at  any  rate  be  deprived  of  the  comforts  of  life.  Only  the  Boers, 
who  eke  out  a  frugal  existence  on  their  secluded  farms,  and  have 
not  yet  become  dependent  on  frozen  meat,  European  butter,  Ameri- 
can meal  and  Australian  potatoes — only  the  Boers,  who,  with  rare 
endurance,  the  heritage  of  their  hardy  race,  boldly  face  years  of 
drought,  rinderpest,  locusts  and  fever,  could  survive  such  a  collapse 
of  the  economic  machinery  of  a  country  so  severely  dealt  with  by 
nature.  The  remaining  Europeans  would  gradually  disappear,  just 
as  the  Phoenicians  and  the  Arabs  disappeared  in  the  days  long 
past.  As  long  as  the  gold  mines  and  the  diamond  mines  can  be 
worked  and  made  to  pay,  so  long  will  the  abnormal  economy  of 
South  Africa  preserve  its  balance;  but  as  soon  us  South  Africa  has 
swallowed  up  its  capital  to  the  very  last  bit  of  gold,  the  Uitlander 
will  have  to  seek  for  fresh  fields  for  the  exercise  of  his  nervous 
energy,  and  the  Afrikander  will  be  abandoned  to  his  struggle  with 
the  inimical  elements,  as  has  ever  been  his  lot  in  the  past.  By  the 
sweat  of  his  brow  he  will  have  to  lead  his  carefully  stored-up 
water  to  the  fields  continuously  threatened  by  locusts;  he  will  have 
to  shield  his  flocks  from  plague  and  theft;  he  will  have  to  preserve 
continual  watch  against  the  inroads  of  the  ever-increasing  blacks. 
The  Boer — that  is,  the  agriculturist — is  destined  to  he  the  Alpha 
and  Omega  of  South  Africa's  white  culture;  lie  alone,  in  this 
quarter  of  the  globe,  can  save  civilization  from  the  ultimate  gulf 
of  bankruptcy.  To  say  that  South  Africa  is  a  ricli  laud,  or  to  paint 
its  future  in  glowing  colors  and  to  dilate  on  the  brilliant  prospects 
that  it  offers  to  an  unlimited  white   population,  is  only  possible  to 

15 


JTS  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

an  extraordinarily  superficial  observer,  to  an  unscrupulous  company- 
promoter,  or  to  an  over-zealous  emigration  agent,  whose  salary  is 
in  proportion  to  the  number  of  his  victims. 

The  first  European  power  which  acquired  a  firm  footing  in  the 
East  Indies,  the  Portuguese,  simply  ignored  South  Africa.  The 
Portuguese  were  succeeded  by  the  Hollanders,  who,  not  until  after 
much  hesitation  and  two  futile  attempts  to  conquer  Mozambique, 
decided  to  take  possession  of  Africa's  southern  extremity.  And  the 
English,  in  common  with  the  Hollanders,  never  desired  aught  but 
the  few  harbors  which  South  Africa  possesses;  the  interior  had  no 
value  in  the  eyes  of  the  European  maritime  powers,  which  only 
looked  to  the  opulent  East.  A  clear  illustration  of  this  is  furnished 
by  the  fact  that,  although  possessing  Walvisch  Bay,  England  quietly 
acquiesced  in  Germany's  protectorate  over  the  hinterland;  and 
another  instance  is  to  be  found  in  the  anxiety  which  England  has 
recently  shown  to  get  hold  of  Delagoa  Bay  and  Beira.  The  posses- 
sion of  these  harbors  would  give  to  the  British  Empire  control  of 
the  sea-way  to  the  East,  and  to  the  English  merchants  such  trade 
with  the  interior  of  South  Africa  as  circumstances  might  permit. 
Neither  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  nor  the  British  rulers 
bestirred  themselves  in  any  way,  in  connection  with  the  steady 
expansion  of  the  white  colonists  in  the  hinterland.  And  this 
interior  colonization  had  barely  acquired  any  importance  before 
there  arose  both  petty  and  material  disturbances  with  the  authority 
representing  the  purely  European  factor.  This  was  not  at  all  diffi- 
cult to  understand.  The  community  at  the  Cape  was  composed  of 
admiuistratoi-s  and  merchants  who  amassed  considerable  fortunes 
by  means  of  the  uninterrupted  trade  between  Europe  and  India; 
the  luxury  which    reigned    at    the    foot    of    Table    Mountain    was 


TRANSVAAL  POLXT  OF  VIEW  '1V^ 

proverbial;  all  the  comforts  of  European  civilization  could  be  enjoyed 
in  sunny  South  Africa,  untroubled  by  the  shadows  of  the  Old 
World.  In  vivid  contrast  to  this  luxurious  life  of  ease,  the  burdens 
of  the  inland  colonists  were,  indeed,  grievous  to  be  borne;  rough, 
hardy  pioneers  of  the  wilderness,  their  life  was  one  prolonged 
struggle  with  poverty,  with  ravaging  beasts  of  prey,  and  with 
stealthy  Bushmen  and  Hottentots.  No  w^onder,  therefore,  that,  little 
by  little,  a  social  gulf  was  created,  that  a  marked  dissimilarity  of 
character  was  gradually  developed  between  the  up-to-date  Cape 
patricians,  treading  the  primrose  paths  of  luxury,  and  the  nomadic 
shepherds  of  the  veldt,  independent  of  aught  save  their  fowling- 
pieces,  and  undisputed  lords  of  the  limitless  plateau  behind  the 
mountains  fringing  the  coast.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  mere 
handful  of  conquerors  of  the  Great  Karroo  had  little  love  for  the 
arbitrary  rule  of  a  Proconsul  in  Cape  Town  Castle,  on  behalf  of  an 
authority  having  its  headquarters  in  Euro])e. 

Under  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  friction  often  arose 
between  the  two  white  elements  of  the  colony,  and  when  the  Cape 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  the  old  antagonism  continued  to  exist.  I  once  heard  it 
said  that  when  Napoleon  suiTendered  to  the  British  in  lsl5,  there 
was  some  talk  of  assigning  to  him,  as  a  final  resting-place,  that 
pretty  country  estate  of  the  early  Dutch  governors,  not  far  from 
Cape  Town,  but  that  this  idea  had  to  be  given  up,  on  account  of 
distrust  of  the  feelings  of  the  inland  colonists,  there  being  some 
fear  that  South  Africa  might  see  a  repetition  of  the  Elba  incident. 
As  long  as  the  imperial  authorities  left  the  inland  colonists  to 
themselves,  and  only  exercised  a  general  repressive  control,  the 
relationship  between  the  two   white   communities   of  South   Africa 


jSO  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

roinained  satisfactory,  l)nt  as  soon  as  the  strings  were  pulled  too 
siuldeiily  liom  Fnrope.  and  the  Cape  authorities  had  to  carry  out  a 
grasping,  despotic  policy,  the  two  elements  inevitably  came  to 
lo^'gerheads.  The  best  South  African  politicians— both  British  and 
Boer— are  those  who  have  frankly  admitted  that  the  political  key 
to  South  Africa  lies  in  an  intelligent  insight  into  the  limit  which 
should  l)e  allowed  to  Britain,  Boer  and  Black.  In  other  words,  let 
each  of  the  three  fulfill  the  mission  which  nature  has  allotted  to 
him,  and  then  this  much- vexed  continent  will  enjoy  the  rest  and 
peace  of  which  it  so  urgently  stands  in  need. 

Is  it  necessary  to  give  a  resume  of  the  painful  episodes  which 
thronged  upon  one  another  in  South  Africa  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury? The  result  of  a  hundred  years  of  incompetency,  weakness, 
vacillation  and  reckless  greed,  culminates  to-day  in  the  awful 
probability  of  an  insensate  strife  between  two  hardy  vital  races, 
races  unique  by  reason  of  their  capacity  for  colonial  expansion, 
races  of  similar  origin  and  religion,  races  whose  internal  coopera- 
tion could  have  made  this  country,  if  not  exceptionally  prosperous, 
at  least  a  particularly  happy  land,  so  that  the  dream  of  one  of  its 
most  gifted  children,  Thomas  Pringle,  might  have  been  fulfilled  in 
gladsome  measure: 

"South  Africa,  thy  future  lies 
Bright  'fore  my  vision  as  thy  skies." 
The  first  beneficent  breathing-space  which  was  granted  to 
South  Africa  by  the  fatal  British  policy,  was  when,  in  1852  and 
1854 — after  numberless  mistakes  had  been  committed  by  the 
Imperial  authorities,  mistakes  which  no  historian  now  attempts  to 
deny— the  South  African  Republic  and  the  Free  State  were  respect- 
ively left  to  their  own  resources,  by  solemn   covenants  with  the 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  VIEW  281 

British  Government — in  other  words,  when  the  formal  principle  was 
adopted  by  England  that  the  Briton  should  be  "  baas "  of  the  coast 
and  the  Boer  of  the  hinterland.  The  circumstances  under  which 
this  took  place  had,  in  the  meantime,  become  very  grievous;  the 
Boer  States  never  had  a  fair  start;  the  British  maritime  colonies 
levied  enormous  duties  on  goods  consigned  to  the  interior,  and 
squeezed  as  much  out  of  the  Afrikander  Republics  as  they  possibly 
could.  And  thus,  whilst  the  British  merchants  at  Cape  Town,  Port 
Elizabeth,  East  London  and  Durban  waxed  fat  and  wealthy,  the 
Boers  became  more  and  more  impoverished.  But  they  were  sus- 
tained in  their  struggle  against  poverty  by  the  hardy  spirit  which 
was  their  peculiar  heritage  from  their  forefathers.  And  although 
the  Free  State  and  the  Transvaal  languished  in  their  material 
development,  and  Natal  and  the  Cape  battened  upon  them,  the 
Boers  were  satisfied,  like  the  lean  dog  in  the  fable  who  did  not 
envy  the  lot  of  his  richer  brother,  because  the  latter  had  to  wear 
a  heavy  collar  of  gold. 

The  generous  policy  of  1852  and  1854  was  only  too  short-lived. 
The  lucid  moments  of  the  Anglo-African  politicians  have  been, 
alas!  few  and  far  between.  First  came  the  ruthless  annexation  of 
Basutoland  by  the  Biitish  authorities,  just  at  the  moment  when 
the  Free  State  had  clipped  the  wings  of  the  Basutos  and  rendered 
further  resistance  futile.  Then  came  the  unrighteous  annexation 
of  Griqualand  AVest.  which  suddenly  found  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the 
British  on  account  of  the  discovery  of  diamonds,  and  on  which 
arose  the  Kimberiey  of  to-day.  This  was  followed  by  the  annexa- 
tion of  the  Transvaal  l)y  Sir  Theophilus  Shepstone,  with  all  the 
bitter  feeling  that  naturally  resulted  therefrom.  And  then  the  Sir 
Charles   Warren  expedition,  by   which   the   Boers  were  deprived  of 


282  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

BechiKuiiilaiid,  bocause  Mr.  Rhodes— whose  fortunate  career  at  the 
Kiinberley  Diamond  Fields  enabled  him  to  give  the  rein  to  his 
restless  ambition  wanted  to  open  up  a  pathway  to  the  north,  to 
the  Rliodesia  of  to-day.  Then  came  the  establishment  of  the 
Chartered  Company,  followed  by  the  notorious  Jameson  raid.  Such 
petty  incidents  as  the  Keate  Award,  the  Swaziland  Muddle,  the 
Annexation  of  Sambaan's  Land,  I  will  pass  over,  for  brevity's  sake. 
In  short,  the  beneficent  policy  of  1852  and  1854,  which  was  for  a 
moment  revived  under  the  Gladstone  Ministry  of  1881 — when  the 
independence  of  the  South  African  Republic  was  restored — has  been 
the  exception  during  the  century  now  speeding  to. its  close.  British 
statesmen  apparently  failed  to  see  that  South  Africa  could  only  be 
served  by  giving  each  race  the  domain  which  destiny  had  prepared 
for  it,  viz.,  the  Boer  the  hinterland  and  the  Britisher  the  coast, 
together  with  the  rights  and  obligations  connected  therewith.  The 
welfare  of  the  interior  states  has  ever  been  the  life-buoy  to  which 
the  whole  of  South  Africa  has  clung,  in  times  of  darkness  and 
depression.  Let  the  interior  have  a  fair  opportunity  of  thriving 
as  well  as  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  country  permit,  and 
the  subjects  of  Queen  Victoria  will  be  able  to  enjoy  the  manifold 
pleasures  of  life  without  one  drop  of  English  soldiers'  blood  having 
to  be  spilled. 

The  immediate  motive  which  prompted  Sir  Theophilus  Shep- 
stoue's  annexation  of  the  Transvaal  in  1877,  was  the  commencement 
made  by  President  Burgers  of  the  long-cherished  railway  to 
Lourenvo  Marques.  Natal  and  Cape  Colony  were  not  satisfied  with 
squeezing  the  inland  states  by  means  of  heavy  duties,  high  postal 
tariffs,  and  enormous  trade  profits;  they  sought  the  complete 
economic  dependency  of  the  republics,  by  prohibiting  all   railway 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  VIEW  283 

traffic  except  through  British  ports.     The  selfishness  of  a  commercial 
communit}^  knows  no  limit. 

The  second  attempt  to  annex  the  South  African  Republic — 
with  which  the  names  of  British  politicians  were  connected — was 
not  the  result  of  a  commercial  policy,  but  it  furnishes  a  striking 
illustration  of  the  capitalism  which  has  become  such  an  important 
factor  in  South  African  policy,  since  the  amalgamation  of  the 
diamond  companies  of  Kimberley  into  one  mighty  body.  The  fact 
that  to-day — whilst  these  lines  are  being  written — this  unhappy 
continent  is  on  the  eve  of  a  helium  omniinn  contra  omnes,  can  only 
be  explained  by  the  overwhelming  influence  acquired  by  certain 
"nouveaux  riches^^ — whose  social  existence  depends  upon  the  Trans- 
vaal gold  industry' — among  those  who,  on  the  British  side,  are 
shaping  the  fate  of  South  Africa. 

During  the  course  of  the  present  century,  this  part  of  the 
world  has  witnessed  a  variety  of  "agitations."  It  was  the  negro- 
philist  agitation  which  drove  the  Boers  in  bitterness  of  spirit  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  Cape  Colony;  and  it  was  an  administrative  agita- 
tion which  for  a  long  time  impeded  their  progress  and  threw  all 
manner  of  obstacles  in  their  way;  it  was  the  politics  of  the  count- 
ing-house which  suggested  the  annexation  of  the  diamond  fields 
and  the  annexation  of  the  Transvaal;  and  it  is  a  stock  exchange 
organization  which  is  pulling  the  strings  of  the  movement  of 
to-day.  Of  all  these  agitations,  the  last — that  of  the  financiers — 
is  the  most  despicable,  the  most  ominous,  the  most  dangerous, 
and  the  most  unw^orthy  of  the  British  nation.  The  Boers  can 
forgive  Dr.  Philip  for  his  negro-philistic  ardor,  they  can  forgive 
Sir  Harry  Smith,  Sir  Philip  Wodehouse,  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  and  Sir 
Owen    Lanyon     for    their    excess    of   administrative    zeal,    but    no 


284  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Afrik;iiiil(M-  will  l)()\v  down  ut  the  bidding  of  a  group  of  foreign 
speculators. 

WIkmi  the  Witwatersraiid  gold  fields  were  discovered,  the  Trans- 
vaalors  had  already  had  some  experience  of  the  advantages  and 
disadvantages  attendant  on  the  possession  of  mineral  wealth.  In 
the  early  seventies,  the  opening  up  of  the  alluvial  deposits  at 
IMlgrim's  Rest,  in  the  northeast  of  the  Republic,  was  the  cause  of 
considerahlo  immigration.  In  the  eighties,  there  was  a  rush  to  the 
diggings  at  Dekaap,  of  which  Barberton  became  the  center,  the 
Afrikander  element  being  strongly  represented.  From  the  very 
beginning,  the  law-makers  of  the  Transvaal  dealt  very  leniently 
with  the  miners,  the  vast  majority  of  whom  were  foreigners.  The 
Boers  ki>ew  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  their  country  at  an  early 
date,  but  they  never  felt  constrained  to  exchange  the  quietude  of 
their  i)astoral  life  for  the  feverish  existence  of  the  gold-seeker. 
The  Boers  have  never  endeavored  to  turn  the  presence  of  gold  in 
their  soil  to  practical  account,  and  make  it  a  direct  source  of 
national  income;  as,  for  instance,  the  Chartered  Company  has  done, 
exprojn'iating  a  large  portion  of  the  profits  of  the  gold  fields.  An 
instance  of  this  liberal  legislation,  more  striking  than  a  long  array 
of  figures,  is  furnished  by  the  public  lottery  of  gold  claims — some 
of  which  are  extremely  valuable  —  which  is  now  taking  place,  and 
in  which  both  burghers  and  Uitlanders  can  participate  without 
distinction. 

The  exceptionally  generous  legislation  of  the  Boers  with  regard 
to  mining  matters  was  effected  with  the  sole  object  of  fostering 
agricultuie;  this  has,  however,  only  been  realized  in  part,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  expansion  of  the  mining  industry  gradually  made 
native  labor  dear,  and  thus  heavily  handicapped  the  agriculturist. 


GENERAL  SIR  REDVERS  BULLER  AND  STAFF  GOING  ON  BOARD 
DUNOTTAR  CASTLE,  OCTOBER  14,  J899. 


SIR  GEORGE  STEWART  WHITE,  V.  C 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  VIEW  287 

The  administratiou  of  the  Boers  in  the  days  of  Pilgrim's  Rest  and 
Barberton,  compares  verj'  favorably  with  that  of  the  diamond  fields 
of  Cape  Colony.  The  Transvaalers  were  good-natured,  but  they  had 
no  inclination  to  be  trifled  with.  In  those  days  there  was  no  talk 
of  Uitlanders'  grievances,  nor  even  during  the  early  years  of 
Johannesburg.  The  Witwatersrand  is  not  situated,  like  Pilgrim's 
Rest  and  Barberton,  in  an  unfrequented  part  of  the  country,  but 
it  lies  to  the  immediate  south  of  Pretoria,  between  Potchefstroom 
and  Heidelberg,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Boer  States.  Johannes- 
burg sprang  up  with  astonishing  rapidity,  and  offered  special  attrac- 
tions to  the  large  number  of  South  African  adventurers,  who,  like 
Mr.  Micawber,  were  only  "waiting  for  something  to  turn  up."  From 
their  farms  in  the  Free  State,  from  their  wayside  stores  in  Cape 
Colony,  from  their  plantations  in  Natal,  from  their  broker  offices 
in  the  diamond  fields,  they  gathered  together — men  of  every  type 
and  every  class,  but  united  in  their  feverish  thirst  for  wealth.  The 
expectations  of  the  most  sanguine  were  realized;  they  reaped  a 
rich  harvest  in  the  shape  of  large  exchange  profits,  although  many 
of  their  number  knew  practically  nothing  about  mining  or  financial 
administration.  Then  came  the  inevitable  collapse  in  1SS9,  which 
only  spared  the  most  fortunate;  and  the  great  majority  of  this 
strangely  mixed  community  were  gradually  compelled  to  make 
room  for  more  competent  men  from  Europe  and  America.  These 
brought  brains  and  experience  into  their  work,  and  placed  the 
industry  upon  a  more  solid  basis;  but  they  also  inoculated  the 
Uitlanders  with  the  hacilli  of  discord  and  revolution,  much  to 
the  detriment  of  the  shareholders  across  the  sea. 

The  appearance   of  the   present-day  Uitlander — that  is  to  say. 
the  grievance-bearing  or  rather  grievance-seeking  stranger — dates 


288  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

from  the  period  when  qualified  experts  satisfied  themselves  as  to 
the  uni(piely  favorable  situation  of  the  precious  metal  in  Wit- 
watersrand  -from  the  time  when  wild  speculation  began  to  make 
loom  for  a  genuine  exploitation  of  the  mines.  The  preliminary 
period  to  which  I  refer  above  was  the  cause  of  an  influx  of  immi- 
grants into  the  Republic.  They  spread  themselves  over  the  face  of 
the  country,  penetrating  into  the  most  outlying  spots,  in  order  to 
procure  material  for  the  flotation  of  mining  companies.  This  period 
also  saw  the  birth  of  the  "Land  and  Estate"  Companies,  who 
generally  bought  up  the  most  uninhabited  or  uninhabitable  farms 
for  speculative  purposes.  By  reason  of  foreign  ownership  of  large 
tracts  of  land,  the  argument  is  often  advanced  that  an  enormous 
portion  of  the  South  African  Republic  no  longer  belongs  to  the 
Boers.  It  may  be  remarked,  en  passant,  that,  whilst  the  Boer  has 
been  severely  condemned  for  his  slothfulness  in  matters  agricultural, 
practically  none  of  the  land  companies  has  ever  devoted  more  than 
a  few  acres  to  the  growing  of  crops.  When  the  period  of  wild 
speculation  suffered  a  collapse,  the  Uitlander  no  longer  spread  him- 
self over  the  whole  of  the  Republic.  Henceforward,  the  Wit- 
watersrand  was  the  exclusive  scene  of  his  labors,  and  here  he 
elected  to  pitch  his  tent.  Outside  the  Rand,  he  confined  himself 
to  the  ordinary  occupations  of  the  olden  days— that  of  storekeeper 
for  the  folk  of  the  few  rustic  centers,  and  bank  manager,  hotelkeeper, 
and  clergyman  in  the  solitary  country  towns. 

After  the  crash  of  1889,  Johannesburg  slowly  became  the  Uit- 
lander town  par  cxceUencc.  It  deserves  to  be  recorded  that,  as  the 
output  of  gold  began  to  show  a  continual  increase,  the  "Uitlander 
question"  acquired  a  proportionate  magnitude.  In  every  country 
where  foreigners  are  to  be  found  in  appreciable  numbers,  there  is 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  VIEW  2S9 

an  Uitlander  question.  It  exists  in  France,  in  regard  to  the 
Italians  and  Belgians  living  there;  in  Japan,  in  regard  to  the 
Americans  and  Britishers;  in  London,  in  regard  to  the  Poles;  in 
the  Middle  Ages  the  Jews  were  in  many  cases  a  powerful  "Uit- 
lander" element.  During  the  last  century,  the  Germans  in  Russia 
have  been  "  Uitlanders,"  and,  according  to  the  Czechs  and  Hun- 
garians, they  are  so  in  Austria  to-day.  But  the  Uitlander  question 
in  the  South  African  Republic  differs  from  the  Uitlander  question 
elsewhere,  as  it  has  been  made  the  cause  of  an  international  dis- 
pute between  two  states  of  unequal  strength.  In  its  present 
form,  the  Uitlander  question  is  only  the  mask  of  a  financiers'  plot, 
of  a  piece  of  Exchange  jobbery.  It  has  steadily  kept  pace  with 
the  gold  output.  In  1889,  £1,500,000  was  produced.  In  that  year 
Johannesburg  was  horrified  by  a  series  of  stealthy  murders  which 
were  only  explained  as  the  handiwork  of  "Jack  the  Ripper."  No 
one  thought  at  that  time,  however,  of  saddling  the  Transvaal 
Government  with  responsibility  for  them,  or  of  sending  plaintive 
petitions  to  England  as  to  the  danger  of  life  in  the  South  African 
Republic!  Everyone  understood,  then  as  now,  that  gold-fields  offer 
peculiar  attractions  to  questionable  characters  of  all  classes.  In 
March,  1890,  during  a  visit  of  President  Kruger  to  the  Golden  City, 
the  Transvaal  flag  was  pulled  down  from  the  government  buildings. 
It  subsequently  transpired  that  this  was  only  the  work  of  some 
drunken  rough,  and  the  mining  and  mercantile  communities  lost 
no  time  in  expressing  their  disapproval  of  the  incident.  The  reali- 
zation of  the  practical  value  of  the  deep-level  theory — in  other 
words,  the  ultimate  conviction  as  to  the  indisputable  durability 
and  wealth  of  the  Witwatersrand  gold-fields — has.  in  the  meantime, 
become  the  signal   for  an   agitation   against   the  government  and 


■2\m  'VUK  STOHY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  people  of  the  South  African  Republic.  From  this  period  dates 
England's  claim  to  suzerainty  over  the  South  African  Republic  and 
the  paramount-powership  in  South  Africa,  of  which  hitherto  no 
mention  liad  ever  l)een  made.  In  1894,  the  then  High  Commis- 
sioner, Sir  Henry  Loch,  was  present  at  some  diamond-drill  experi- 
ments at  tliP  Rand,  which  proved  beyond  dispute  the  continuous 
nature  of  tlio  gold-bearing  reef  at  a  considerable  depth,  and  at  an 
important  distance  from  the  outcrop  reef.  During  this  visit,  Sir 
Henry  Loch  made  a  promise  to  the  mining  magnate — as  per  letter 
of  Mr.  Lionel  Phillips,  then  the  Chairman  of  the  Johannesburg 
Chamber  of  Mines* — to  stir  up  the  Transvaal  Government  on  con- 
dition that  the  "Uitlander"  agitation  increased  in  intensity.  The 
Transvaal  Green  Book  provides  instructive  reading  even  for  to-day; 
it  contains  extracts  from  private  letters  from  Mr.  Phillips  to  his 
London  friends.  On  the  10th  of  June,  1894,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Beit: 
"  As  to  the  franchise,  I  do  not  think  many  people  care  a  fig 
about  it." 

On  the  1st  of  July  of  the  same  year,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Wernher: 
"Sir  H.  Loch  (with  whom  I  had  two  long  private  interviews 
alone)  asked  me  some  very  pointed  questions,  such  as  what  arms 
we  had  in  Johannesburg,  whether  the  population  could  hold  the 
place  for  six  days  until  help  could  arrive,  etc.,  etc.,  and  stated 
plainly  that  if  there  had  been  3,000  rifles  and  ammunition  here  he 
would  certainly  have  come  over.  He  further  informed  me,  in  a 
significant  way,  that  he  had  prolonged  the  Swaziland  agreement 
for  six  months,  and  said  he  supposed  in  that  time  Johannesburg 
would  be  better  prepared— as  much  as  to  say,  if  things  are  safer 
then  we  shall  actively  intervene." 

♦  Fid*"  Transvaal  (Ireeii  Hook.  N<1.  %.  of  1896. 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  \'1KW  21)1 

This,  conversation  took  place  at  Pretoria,  where  Sir  Henry 
Loch,  as  the  representative  of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  was  the 
honored  guest  of  the  Transvaal  people!  On  the  15th  of  July  of  the 
same  year,  Mr.  Phillips  wrote  to  Mr.  Beit: 

"We  don't  want  any  row.  Our  trump  card  is  a  fund  of 
£10,000  or  £15,000  to  improve  the  Volksraad.  Unfortunately  'he 
gold  companies  have  no  secret  service  fund." 

All  this  happened  in  1894.  when  the  gold  output  had  already 
reached  a  total  of  nearly  seven  and  three-fourths  millions  sterling. 
In  1S95  it  had  risen  to  eight  and  one-half  millions;  the  "trump 
card"  had  also  risen  and  amounted  to  £120,000,  with  which  sum 
the  Reform  movement  at  Johannesburg  was  partially  financiered, 
a  movement  which  came  to  an  untimely  end  at  Doornkop. 

In  1897  the  inquiry  by  the  official  Industrial  Commission  took 
place,  the  result  being  a  substantial  lowering  of  railway  tariffs  and 
import  dues.  But  the  "grievances"  still  remained,  and  increased 
in  1897  in  sympathy  with  the  gold  output,  whicli  had  now  reached 
the  large  figure  of  eleven  and  one-half  millions.  Still  more 
"unbearable"  were  these  "grievances"  in  1898,  during  w^hich  year 
sixteen  and  one-fourth  millions  of  gold  was  dug  out  of  Transvaal 
soil.  This  was  the  year  of  the  Edgar  affair  and  of  the  LFitlander 
petition,  and  in  the  same  year  forty-five  gold  companies  of  the 
Rand  (the  share  capital  issued  being  £20,294,675)  paid  out  in 
dividends  no  less  than  £5,089,785 — an  average  of  twenty-five  per 
cent!  The  output  for  1899  has  already  been  estimated  at  twenty- 
two  and  one-half  millions,  and  the  number  of  dividend-paying 
companies  increases  every  month. 

In  1896,  the  rural  population  were  visited  by  a  series  of  grievous 
plagues — by  rinderpest,  by  drought,  by  locusts,  and  by  the  dreaded 


i>92  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

fever.  While  tlie  llitlanders  of  the  Rand  were  reported  to  be 
groaning  under  tlie  oppression  of  their  Egyptian  task-masters,  and 
European  shareholders  were  depicted  as  helpless  victims  of  a  cor- 
rupt Kruger  regime,  the  Boers  were  "taking  up  arms  against  a  sea 
of  troubles"  which  threatened  to  overwhelm  them,  and  of  which 
we  heard  exceedingly  little,  either  in  the  local  papers  or  in  the 
cable  columns  of  the  London  press.  Whilst  thousands  of  Boer 
families  saw  the  fruit  of  long  years  of  toil  plucked  away  by  the 
hand  of  God  in  a  single  season,  the  campaign  of  libel  on  behalf  of 
the  Uitlanders  was  vigorously  prosecuted  with  the  help  of  money 
won  from  Transvaal  soil  by  mining  magnates,  the  princely  munifi- 
cence displayed  by  whom  in  London  and  other  places  outside  South 
Africa  was  occasionally  referred  to  in  the  local  papers  as  a  joyous 
chord  between  the  "grievance"  symphonies  that  were  struck  in  the 
minor  key. 

1  have  little  inclination  to  expatiate  on  the  true  character  of 
the  present  movement  against  the  Boers;  but  I  do  say  that  to  sup- 
port the  latest  type  of  agitation  against  the  white  population  of 
the  interior  of  South  Africa  is  unworthy  of  the  traditions  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race.  The  South  African  Republic  is  not  without 
political  blemishes;  as  in  every  other  country,  we  have  our  admin- 
istrative scandals,  both  great  and  small;  we  have  our  social 
and  economic  plague-spots,  which  must  be  made  to  disappear. 
Gold-fields  never  were  fountains  of  pure  morality,  nor  are  they  so 
in  South  Africa.  Has  one  ever  pictured  the  future  of  the  most 
civilized  country  of  the  Old  World  if  a  second  Johannesburg  were 
to  spring  up  in  mushroom  fashion?  I  do  not  wish  to  speak  evil  of 
the  wire-pullers  of  the  present  agitation  against  the  Afrikander.-^; 
but.  surely,  those  persons  whose  princely  palaces  have  been   built 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  VIEW  293 

with  Transvaal  j^old,  and  who  cry  out  so  loudly  against  our  govern- 
ment, should  be  the  last  to  throw  stones  against  the  Republic. 
The  "oligarchy"  at  Pretoria — to  use  Mr.  Chamberlain's  recent 
expression — consists  of  barely  a  few  dozen  Boers;  there  is,  there- 
fore, strong  evidence  in  favor  of  this  ''  oligarchy  "  in  the  fact  that 
it  has  been  able  to  offer  such  prolonged  resistance  to  the  well- 
disposed  and  undoubtedly  disinterested  attempts  of  such  gentlemen 
as  Lionel  Phillips  to  "  improve "  them  from  Johannesburg  and  Lon- 
don. Such  an  "  oligarchy "  is  without  a  parallel  in  modern  times. 
It  forms  a  striking  contrast  to  the  worship  of  the  golden  calf  on 
the  Witwatersrand,  from  which  Pretoria  is  only  distant  about  three 
hours  on  horseback.  Such  an  "oligarchy"  deserves  to  be  carefully 
preserved  rather  than  destroyed,  as  we  preserve  from  total  extinction 
some  rare  plant  or  peculiar  species  of  animal. 

There  are  undoubted  grievances  in  the  South  African  Republic, 
but  they  are  not  the  exclusive  property  of  the  Uitlanders;  a  dis- 
creet silence  is  observed  with  respect  to  the  wrongs  of  the  Trans- 
vaal burghers,  and  I  do  not  feel  it  to  be  my  task  to  dilate  upon 
them  now.  But  still  they  exist,  although  the  absorbing  selfishness 
of  the  mining  magnates  keeps  back  the  light  of  day;  the  lust  for 
gold  stifles  all  generosity,  compassion,  mercy,  brotherly  love  and 
respect  for  the  rights  of  the  w^eak.  What  Monomotapa  was  to  the 
Phoenicians  and  Arabs,  Witwatersrand  is  to  our  present  gold-seekers, 
and  to  most  of  the  Uitlanders — a  temporary  land  of  exile,  which 
they  only  endure  for  the  sake  of  the  gold.  Can  we  picture  the 
wise  King  Solomon  demanding  the  franchise  for  his  subjects  in  the 
realms  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba? 

South  Africa  is  poor;  it  will  remain  poor,  in  spite  of  its  gold 
and  its  diamonds.    It  will  never  be  able  to  pay  back  the  cost  of  a 


204  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

bitter  strife,  unless  tlic  ^Mjld-bedecked  princes  come  forward  with 
the  treasure  wliich  tliey  have  wrung  from  the  land.  As  long  as 
the  Boers  allow  the  modern  Phcenicians  to  dig  the  precious  metals 
out  of  Transvaal  soil  without  heavy  impositions,  and  to  have  a  free 
hand  in  the  administration  of  the  country  and  the  g'overnment  of 
the  native  population,  it  will  be  found  that  the  best  business  policy 
will  l)e  to  leave  the  Boers  in  undisturbed  possession  of  their  coun- 
try, free  to  rule  it  by  their  own  healthy  instinct  and  according  to 
the  good  old  traditions  of  their  forefathers,  with  their  own  lan- 
guage, their  own  rulers,  their  own  aspirations — even  with  their  own 
faults  and  prejudices. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that,  from  the  earliest  days  of  the 
gold-fields,  the  Uitlanders  knew  that  the  South  African  Republic 
was  an  "oligarchy;"  they  knew  that  the  Boers  were  "illiterate," 
"stupid,"  "ignorant,"  and  a  good  deal  besides;  they  knew  that  a 
dynamite  monopoly  existed,  and  that  President  Kruger  was  a  "  hard 
nut  to  crack."  Notwithstanding  this  knowledge  the  "Uitlanders" 
have  flocked  in  by  thousands,  and  foreign  capital  has  been  invested 
amounting  to  several  hundreds  of  millions  sterling.  During  the 
first  five  months  of  the  present  year,  Transvaal  gold  and  other 
companies  were  registered  here  with  a  combined  capital  of  over 
£15,391,389.  In  July  last— in  the  middle  of  the  crisis— five  new^ 
companies  were  registered  with  a  capital  of  £1,159,000.  And  of  all 
the  Uitlanders  only  a  section  of  the  British  subjects  are  genuinely 
dissatisfied.  Notwithstanding  that  the  "  oppression "  of  the  Trans- 
vaal "oligarchy"  has  been  told  and  retold  until  the  world  has 
become  sick  and  weary,  immigrants  are  still  pouring  in  from  all 
quarters  of  the  globe. 

The  Boers  do  not  ask  for  mercy:   they  ask   for  justice.     Those 


\.f0 


I 


i 


^ 


DRAKENSBERG,  ON  THE  TRANSVAAL  BORDER,  WHERE 
THE  BOERS  ARE  IN  LAAGER. 


TRANSVAAL  POINT  OF  \  IFW  207 

who  keep  up  the  unfair  agitation  against  the  South  African  Republic 
are  the  last  men,  however,  to  listen  to  the  voice  of  righteousness, 
or  to  be  guided  by  any  noble  impulse;  political  corruption  is  the 
seed  they  sow,  and  by  their  unexampled  opportunities  they  feel 
confident  of  reaping  their  criminal  harvest.  Up  to  the  present 
they  have  gathered  only  tears;  a  still  more  bitter  time  of  reaping 
has  yet  to  come.  In  the  past  the  Boers  have  been  able  to  fight 
against  immensely  superior  odds.  They  feel  that  the  final  victory 
will  be  theirs;  for  they  know  they  have  right  on  their  side. 

Well   would   it   be   for  the    British    nation   if   they    could    l)ut 
realize  the  significance  of  those  words  of  Russell  Lowell: 

**  Truth  forever  on  the  scaffold,  wrong  forever  on  the  throne, 
Yet  that  scaffold  sways  the  future,  and  behind  the  dim  unknown 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow,  keeping  watch  above  his  own." 

F,  V.  Engelenburg. 

Pretoria,  Aiujusf,  1899. 


16 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  SOUTH  AFRICAN  QUESTION  FROM  THE  ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW 

Having  given  the  Boer  side  of  the  question,  we  now  submit  the 
English  point  of  view  as  presented  by  Mr.  Edward  Dicey  in  The 
Nineteenth  Century  for  May,  1896,  and  entitled  "Why  South  Africa 
Cannot  Wait." 

Why  cannot  South  Africa  wait?  This  is  a  question  1  hear  often 
asked  by  persons  who  would  be  indignant  at  being  called  Little 
Englanders  and  whose  sympathies  are  enlisted  on  the  side  of  the 
British  Imperial  idea.  That  is  the  question  I  should  like  to  answer, 
in  as  far  as  any  solution  of  a  complicated  problem  is  possible  within 
the  limits  of  a  single  article.  But  before  entering  on  the  discussion 
of  this  subject,  it  may  be  well  to  explain  what  I  understand  by 
British  South  Africa.  For  practical  purposes  British  South  Africa 
means,  to  my  thinking,  that  portion  of  the  southern  part  of  the  Dark 
Continent  in  which  Great  Britain  is  the  paramount  power.  This 
district  forms  a  huge  equilateral  triangle,  of  which  Cape  Town  is  the 
apex,  the  parallel  of  the  Zambesi  the  base,  and  the  sea  coast,  washed 
by  the  Atlantic  on  the  west  and  the  Indian  Ocean  on  the  east,  the 
sides.  Included  in  this  area  are  the  Cape  Colony,  Natal,  the 
Transvaal,  tlie  Orange  Free  State,  the  territories  of  the  Chartered 
Company,  Zululand,  Pondoland,  Khama's  Country  and  a  number  of 
more  or  less  independent  native  states,  in  all  of  which  the  British 
power  is  either  directly  or  indirectly  paramount.  The  only  exceptions 
to  British  supremacy  within  the  above  region  are  the  Portuguese 


;:o(>  THE  JSTOEY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

colonics  on  tlie  east  coast  and  the  German  colony  of  Damaraland 
ou  the  west. 

Mow  far  these  colonies  are  likely  to  remain  in  their  present 
hands  foi-  ;niy  length  of  time  is  a  moot  question;  but  this  much  is 
certain,  that  if  ever  there  should  be  a  South  African  Confederation 
under  the  British  flag,  the  Portuguese  and  German  colonies  must 
come  in  fact,  if  not  in  name,  within  the  sphere  of  British  interest.  I 
am  aware  that  ardent  advocates  of  the  Imperialist  idea  would 
repudiate  the  notion  of  confining  British  expansion  in  South  Africa 
within  such  narrow  limits.  I  know  that  the  Chartered  Company 
has  already  extended  its  dominions  north  of  the  Zambesi  river.  I 
know,  too,  that  Great  Britain  claims  vast  areas  outside  of  the 
Chartered  Company's  most  northern  outpost,  as  coming  within  the 
sphere  of  British  influence.  I  am  by  no  means  prepared  to  assert 
that  these  aspirations  can  never  be  realized.  But  I  do  say  that  in  as 
far  as  the  j^resent  generation  is  concerned,  our  policy  in  South  Africa 
may  safely  be  confined  to  the  creation  of  a  British  Dominion  of  South 
Africa  to  the  south  of  the  parallel  of  the  Zambesi.  No  wise  man 
who  realizes  the  extraordinary  progress  made  by  South  Africa  during 
the  last  quarter  of  the  century  will  deny  the  possibility  of  vast 
regions  lying  far  away  to  the  north  of  the  Zambesi  coming  ulti- 
mately under  British  authority.  No  prudent  man,  however,  will,  as 
I  hold,  trouble  himself  much  for  the  present  about  our  possessions 
in  Central  and  Tropical  Africa,  until  the  work  of  consolidating  the 
area  south  of  the  Zambesi  into  a  united  state  has  been  definitely 
accomplished.  In  speaking,  therefore,  of  South  Africa,  my  remarks 
are  conflned  to  the  area  in  which  British  influence  is  either  already 
supreme  or  is  bound  to  become  supreme  within  the  lifetime  of  the 
present  generation. 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  301 

My  argument  is  based,  I  may  state  here,  on  two  assumptions, 
which  will  not,  I  think,  be  disputed  by  anybody  acquainted  with 
South  Africa.  The  first  assumption  is  that,  in  some  form  or  other, 
the  various  colonies,  republics,  and  states  of  South  Africa  are 
destined  by  the  logic  of  facts  to  form  a  common  confederation  at 
no  distant  date.  In  support  of  this  assumption  1  need  only  say 
that  the  interests,  aspirations  and  conditions  which  tell  in  favor  of 
union  are  infinitely  stronger  than  those  which  tell  against  it.  My 
second  assumption  is,  that  in  every  such  confederation  supremacy 
as  between  the  British  and  the  Dutch  elements  must  ultimately 
remain  with  the  former — not  with  the  latter.  This  conclusion  is 
based,  not  on  any  individual  preference  for  my  own  people,  but  on 
a  simple  appreciation  of  the  two  elements  out  of  w^hich  the 
dominant  white  race  in  South  Africa  is  composed.  The  Boers  as  a 
body  are  unprogressive,  unadventurous,  averse  to  change.  The 
British  are  progressive,  active,  and  eager  for  adventure.  The  Boers 
are  hunters  and  cattle  owners.  The  British  are  miners  and  traders. 
The  British  have  the  forces  of  education,  science  and  capital  on 
their  side  ;  the  Boers,  on  the  other  hand,  decline  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  resources  by  which  wealth  is  accumulated  and  through 
which  the  power  conferred  by  wealth  is  acquired.  The  Boers 
receive  no  reinforcement  by  emigration  ;  the  British  population  is 
increasing  daily  by  the  constant  infiux  of  new  batches  of  emi- 
grants. Given  these  conditions  and  the  result  is  certain.  In  virtue 
of  nature's  law  of  the  'survival  of  the  fittest,'  the  British  are  bound 
to  distance  the  Boers  in  the  future  as  they  have  done  in  the  past. 
In  this  world,  as  at  present  constituted,  the  weaker  is  certain  in 
the  long  run  to  go  to  the  wall.  Just  as  in  the  Soul  hern  States  in 
America  the  Yankee  is  shunting  out  the  Southern   [»lant(>r.  so  the 


:j()j  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

Briton  is  compelled  by  the  same  manifest  destiny  to  oust  the  Boer. 
I  hold,  therefore,  that  no  matter  what  one's  respect  may  be  for  the 
individual  fine  qualities  of  the  Boer  population,  one  can  entertain 
no  doubt  that  in  the  end  the  race  that  goes  ahead  must  get  the 
better  of  the  race  that  stays  at  home. 

I  may  be  told  that  if  my  assumptions  are  true  I  have  demon- 
strated the  absence  of  any  necessity  for  the  immediate  solution  of 
the  Boer-IIitlander  controversy.  If  confederation  is,  as  I  hold,  a 
mere  question  of  time,  and  if,  in  any  such  confederation,  the  British 
element  must  necessarily  be  supreme,  I  may  fairly  be  asked  why 
it  should  be  advisable  to  expedite  the  regular  operation  of  natural 
causes.  If  I  were  an  Afrikander,  born  and  bred,  I  might  feel  it 
difiBcult  to  answer  this  question.  In  common  parlance,  an  Afri- 
kander means  a  settler  in  South  Africa  of  Dutch  extraction;  but  in 
theory  it  means  any  man  of  white  parentage  who  has  been  born  in 
Sontli  Africa,  who  has  spent  his  life  there,  and  who  intends  to  make 
it  the  home  of  himself  and  his  family.  There  are  thousands 
already  of  British  Afrikanders,  in  the  above  sense  of  the  word,  liv- 
ing in  South  Africa,  and  every  year  their  number  is  increasing 
relatively  as  well  as  positively.  No  doubt  these  British  Afrikanders 
are  bound  to  the  mother  country  by  a  variety  of  ties,  both  senti- 
mental and  material;  while  their  antagonism  to  the  Boer  element 
renders  them  keenly  alive  to  the  advantages  of  the  Imperial  con- 
nection. But  no  British  Afrikander,  even  if  politically  he  found  his 
advantage  in  standing  well  with  the  Boers,  ever  entertains  any 
sorious  doubt  that  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  British  element  in 
South  Africa  is  a  foregone  conclusion.  This  being  so,  though  he 
might  prefer  a  forcible  settlement  of  the  conflict  between  tbf^ 
Boers  and  tho  Fitlanders,  he  might  possibly  be  content  to  bide  hi: 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  303 

time,  supposing  Great  Britain  should  decline  to  take  any  action  on 
behalf  of  her  own  people. 

Still,  I  am  convinced  the  vast  majoritv  of  the  British  Afrikanders 
have  a  sincere  and  heartfelt  desire  to  uphold  their  connection  with 
the  British  Empire.  Even  if  a  confederation  could  be  arranged 
at  once,  a  matter  to  which  the  British  colonists,  as  a  class,  whose 
interests  are  most  closely  affected  by  the  absence  of  any  federal 
union,  attach  more  importance  than  the  Boers,  they  would,  I  believe, 
hesitate  to-day  about  Joining  such  a  confederation,  unless  it  was 
to  be  placed  under  the  sovereignty  of  England.  This  state  of  senti- 
ment might,  however,  become  easily  changed  if  Great  Britain  should 
not  be  prepared  to  uphold  the  demand  of  the  British  colonists 
throughout  South  Africa  for  the  treatment  of  British  settlers  under 
Dutch  government  on  the  same  footing  of  equality  as  that  which 
is  accorded  the  Boer  colonists  under  British  government.  The  real 
issue  at  stake,  to  my  mind,  is  not,  whether  under  a  confederated 
South  Africa  the  British  element  should  be  dominant,  but  whether 
the  confederation  should  form  a  province  occupying  the  position  of 
the  Dominion  of  Canada,  or  whether  it  should  be  an  independent 
republic — an  African  United  States.  Holding,  as  I  do,  and  as  I  think 
all  Imperialists  hold  also,  that  the  latter  contingency  would  be  a 
grievous,  if  not  a  fatal,  blow  to  the  British  Empiro,  I  think  it  well 
to  point  out  that  inaction  on  our  part  at  the  present  crisis  may 
imperil  the  realization  of  the  Imperialist  idea.  Of  course,  to  per- 
sons who  think  that  the  maintenance  of  our  Imperial  position  is  a 
doubtful  advantage  to  England,  and  a  still  more  doubtful  benefit 
to  the  outside  world,  my  argument  has  no  chance  of  appealing. 
It  is  only  addressed  to  those  who  agree  with  me  in  thinking  that 
the  extension,  development  and  consolidation  of  the  British  Empire 


;;()4  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

aic   Wwu'^s  to  l)(^  desired,  not  only  in  tlie  interest  of  Great  Britain, 
hut  in  tJKit  of  liinnanity  at  large. 

The  position  stands  thus:  Between  the  different  states  which 
compose  South  Africa,  there  are  no  natural  frontiers.  The  general 
configuration  of  the  country  is  niarvelously,  T  might  almost  say, 
monotonously,  uniform.  The  language  is,  generally  speaking,  the 
same  throughout;  English  in  the  towns,  Taal  or  Boer  Dutch  in  the 
farmhouses,  with  which  the  surface  of  the  Veldt  is  sparsely  dotted 
over.  There  is  little  or  nothing  beyond  climatic  differences  and 
varieties  of  vegetation  to  show  a  traveler  that  he  has  passed  from 
one  South  African  state  into  another.  There  is  one  feature 
common  to  them  all,  and  that  is  the  presence  of  a  small  white 
population  forming  the  dominant  ruling  class  in  the  midst  of  a 
l)lack  population,  overwhelmingly  superior  in  number,  but  subordi- 
nate to  the  w^hite.  The  status  of  the  natives,  politically,  economically 
and  socially,  varies  considerably  in  the  different  communities,  but  in 
one  and  all,  they  are  strangers  amidst  a  strange  people,  strangers 
whose  services  are  indispensable,  but  whosfe  existence  is  regarded 
as  a  possible  source  of  peril  to  the  white  settlers,  no  matter  w^hat 
their  individual  nationality  may  be.  In  South  Africa  there  are,  of 
course,  local  conflicts  of  interest,  such  as  those  which  exist  between 
the  western  and  eastern  provinces  of  the  Cape  Colony.  But,  in 
the  main,  the  material  interests  of  the  white  communities  in  South 
Africa,  from  the  Zambesi  down  to  Table  Mountain,  are  infinitely 
more  homogeneous  than  those  of  any  other  area  of  equal  size  with 
which  1  am  acquainted.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  intelligible 
enough  that  the  idea  of  a  confederation  of  states  under  which  there 
should  be  a  common  tariff,  a  common  administration,  a  common 
legislation,  and  a  common  association  for  the  protection  of  public 


Z 

o 

U 

X 

h 

O 
H 

O 
Z 

o 
o 

u 
-J 

h 

< 

o 


A  MIXED  BODY  OF  BOERS,  WILD  WITH  EXCITEMENT,  ENTERING   JOHANNESBURG. 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  307 

safety  aud  fui-  the  development  of  material  resources,  should  have 
presented  itself  to  the  mind  of  all  Afrikanders  \\ho  are  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  their  adopted  country.  The  obstacle  which  has 
hitherto  stood  in  the  way  of  this  idea  being  earned  out  in  practice, 
has  been  the  jealousy  between  the  Boer  and  the  British  elements 
in  South  Africa.  Within  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  these 
jealousies  have  been  very  largely  removed;  and  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  the  establishment  of  a  South  African  confederation  would, 
before  now,  have  become  an  accomplished  fact  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  bitter  antagonism  of  the  Transvaal  Boers. 

I  have  no  intention  of  entering  in  this  paper  into  any  discussion 
of  the  rights  and  wrongs  of  the  historic  controversy  between  the 
original  Dutch  settlers  and  the  English  colonists.  There  is  a  good 
deal  to  be  said  on  both  sides.  But  even  if  I  were  prepared  to  admit, 
which  T  certainly  am  not,  that  in  the  story  of  South  Africa  the  Eng- 
lish have  throughout  played  the  part  of  the  wolf,  and  the  Boers  that 
of  the  lamb,  such  an  admission  would  in  no  wise  affect  my  contention 
that  the  two  races  have  got  to  live  together  side  by  side.  Owing 
to  the  material  conditions  I  have  alluded  to,  South  Africa  never 
has  been  and  never  can  be  mapped  out  into  separate  areas  occupied 
respectively  by  English  and  Dutch  settlers.  Wherever  the  Boer 
settles  the  Uitlander  is  found  and  vice  versa.  The  joint  partnership 
between  Boers  and  TTitlanders  in  the  occupation  of  South  Africa  is 
therefore  indissoluble.  There  are  l)ut  two  possible  solutions  of  the 
controversy  which  has  been  carried  on  with  fluctuating  fortunes 
ever  since  Holland  first  ceded  the  Cape  Colony  to  Great  Britain. 
Either  one  of  the  two  races  must  reduce  the  other  to  sul)jection, 
or  the  two  must  form  one  common  white  community  in  which 
both    Dutch    and    English   c()lonists   possess  e(iual    rights  and    equal 


308  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

privileges.  The  former  is  the  solution  which  finds  favor  with  the 
Transvaal,  the  latter  is  the  solution  accepted,  with  this  solitary 
exception,  by  the  whole  of  South  Africa. 

In  the  British  possessions  the  policy  of  the  government  has 
been  directed,  in  the  main,  to  the  reconciliation  of  the  Boers  to 
the  British  rule,  by  placing  them  on  a  footing  of  absolute  equality 
with  the  British  colonists.  In  the  Cape,  in  Natal,  and  in  Rhodesia 
the  Boers  enjoyed  the  same  political  rights,  the  same  legal  status, 
the  same  commercial,  agricultural  and  industrial  advantages  as 
their  British  fellow  citizens.  There  are  various  questions  affecting 
South  African  interests,  such  as  that  of  the  treatment  of  the  natives, 
which  are  regarded  from  a  different  standpoint  by  the  two  nation- 
alities; and  these  differences  are  no  doubt  intensified  by  the  extreme 
conservatism  of  customs,  the  tenacity  of  tradition  and  the  stolid 
contempt  of  innovations  of  any  kind  which  characterize  the  Boers 
as  a  body.  Unless  it  may  be  deemed  a  grievance  that  the  policy 
of  a  state  should  be  directed  by  the  ideas  which  rightly  or  wrongly 
find  favor  with  the  majority,  no  Boer  as  Boer  has  any  political 
grievance  to  complain  of  at  the  hands  of  any  British  South  African 
government.  The  Boers,  moreover,  have  full  power  under  British 
rule  of  redressing  by  constitutional  action,  any  grievance  of  which 
they  complain.  In  the  Cape  the  Boers  return  thirty-two  members 
out  of  seventy-five  to  the  Parliament;  they  have  the  right  of 
taking  part  in  debate  in  their  own  language;  they  make  and  unmake 
ministries,  they  can  resist,  and  as  a  rule  they  can  defeat,  any 
measure  of  which  they  disapprove.  They  enjoy  absolutely  equality 
before  the  law.  They  are  equally  eligible  with  Englishmen  to  all 
legal  and  ofiicial  posts,  and  if  the  proportion  of  Dutch  public  serv- 
ants is  small  compared  with  that  of  English,  this  is  simply  due  to 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  309 

the  fact  that  the  Boevs,  as  a  class,  do  not  possess  the  education 
required  for  ofiBcial  duties;  while  even  if  they  possess  the  requisite 
education,  they  have,  as  a  rule,  little  taste  for  public  life.  In 
Rhodesia  the  Dutch  form  a  comparative  small  minority.  Yet  here, 
as  in  the  Cape,  the  Boers  possess  absolute  political,  legal  and  social 
equality  with  the  English.  The  result  has  been  that  in  the  colonies 
under  British  administration,  the  Boers  have  become,  or  per- 
haps, to  speak  more  accurately,  are  fast  becoming  reconciled  to 
British  rule.  In  the  Cape  especially,  the  Boers  have  largely 
abandoned  their  attitude  of  stubborn  isolation.  Constant  and 
friendly  intercourse  with  their  British  neighbors  has  greatly  modi- 
fied their  anti-English  prejudices.  Intermarriages  between  the  two 
races  are  matters  of  not  uncommon  occurrence.  The  Dutch,  too, 
have  learned  to  recognize  the  advantages  of  honest  government, 
oflBcial  integrity,  political  freedom  and  legal  justice,  which  they 
enjoy  beneath  the  British  flag;  while,  under  the  administration  of 
Mr.  Cecil  Rhodes,  they  found  that  by  cooperating  with  the  English 
members  of  the  Parliament  they  could  obtain  reasonable  concessions 
to  Boer  ideas  and  convictions.  The  net  result  is,  that  in  Cape 
Colony,  Boers  and  British  are  rapidly  becoming  consolidated 
into  a  homogeneous  political  commonwealth.  In  Natal  under  con- 
stitutional government,  which  was  established  only  a  couple  of 
years  ago,  British  and  Boers  have  been  placed  on  exactly  the  same 
footing,  and  have  been  accorded  the  same  rights  and  privileges. 
In  the  Orange  Free  State  a  similar  policy  has  been  pursued.  This 
State  is  probably  the  most  purely  Boer  community  in  the  whole  of 
South  Africa.  Possessing,  as  it  does,  no  great  wealth  either  agri- 
cultural, mineral  or  industrial,  it  has  never  been  a  favorite  resort 
of   British  immigrants.     Still,  the  English  residents  in   the  Orange 


310  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Frpo  State  are  jillovved  substantially  the  same  rights  as  those 
claiinet]  by  the  born  subjects  of  the  Republic.  In  consequence  the 
relations  l)etween  Bloemfontein,  Pietermaritzburg  and  Cape  Town 
have  been  for  many  years  past  of  a  most  amicable  and  satisfactory 
character. 

It  is  the  Transvaal  and  the  Transvaal  alone  that  has  hitherto 
opposed  the  unification  of  South  Africa  upon  the  basis  of  political 
equality  between  the  Boers  and  tlie  British.  The  conduct  of  the 
South  African  Republic  has  been  from  the  outset  deliberately  and 
persistently  hostile  to  the  policy  of  legal  equality  for  all  citizens  of 
European  race.  This  hostility  is  all  the  more  indefensible  from  the 
fact  that  the  South  African  Republic,  to  speak  the  plain  truth, 
owes  its  existence  to  the  direct  action  of  the  British  Government. 
I,  for  one,  am  not  going  to  endorse  the  futile  theory  that  Great 
Britian,  after  having  first  annexed  the  Transvaal,  gave  it  back  to 
the  Boers  out  of  a  sentiment  of  magnanimity.  That  sort  of  twaddle 
may  have  been  good  enough  to  remove  the  compunction  of  Mr. 
Gladstone  and  his  followers  in  1881  at  having  to  consent  to  a 
creditable  surrender  on  the  morrow  of  a  disgraceful  defeat.  But  it 
is  not  good  enough  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  historical  truth. 
England,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Government  of  the  day  gave  up 
the  Transvaal  because  the  resistance  of  the  Boers  had  proved  more 
formidable  than  we  had  anticipated,  because  South  African  wars 
were  unpopular  at  that  period  with  the  British  public,  and  because 
the  game  of  reconquering  the  Transvaal  after  Majuba  was  not 
deemed  to  be  woi-th  the  candle.  But  at  the  time  when  the  treaty 
of  Pretoria  was  concluded  there  was  no  possible  doubt,  either  at 
home  or  in  South  Africa,  that  if  England  had  ))een  so  minded  it 
lay  easily  within  her  power  to  have  restored  British  rule  over  the 


ExNGLlSH  POINT  OF  VIEW  :^li 

Transvaal.  It  is,  however,  just  to  add  that  one  of  the  main  con- 
siderations, though  not,  as  1  hold,  the  principal  consideration,  which 
weighed  with  Englishmen  in  the  mother  country  in  favor  of 
surrendering  the  Transvaal,  was  a  genuine  and  honest  dislike  to 
employing  our  overwhelming  military  supremacy  for  the  suppression 
of  .  a  petty  state  which  had  fought  gallantly  for  its  independence. 
Moreover,  it  was  commonly,  and  justly,  believed  in  England  that 
the  Treaty  of  Pretoria  guaranteed  Englishmen  equal  rights  under 
a  South  African  Republic  with  those  enjoyed  by  Boers  under 
British  rule  in  South  Africa,  and  also  secured  the  suzerainty  of 
Great  Britian.  I  am  not  arguing  now  as  to  the  legal  interpretation 
of  the  Treaty  of  Pretoria  in  its  original  form  or  as  it  was  sub- 
sequently modified  ))y  the  Convention  of  1884.  All  I  assert  is  that 
at  the  time  we  surrendered  the  Transvaal  our  government  did  so 
under  the  belief  that  the  substitution  of  Boer  for  British  rule 
would  not  act  to  the  detriment  of  British  subjects  resident  in  the 
Transvaal.  I  think  it  possible  that  the  representations  made  at  the 
time  by  the  Boer  authorities  as  to  their  intention  to  deal  fairly  and 
liberally  with  the  British  settlers  were  made  in  good  faith.  It 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  in  1881  the  mineral  wealth  of  the 
Transvaal  was  still  unknown  and  unsuspected,  that  Johannesburg 
was  still  an  obscure  hamlet  of  some  dozen  houses,  that  the 
Uitlander  population  was  then  extremely  limited  in  numbers,  and 
that  recent  events  had  made  the  Transvaal  an  even  less  attractive 
residence  for  British  settlers  than  it  had  proved  hitherto. 

If  the  gold  discoveries  had  been  made  at  the  Rand  when  our 
troops  were  defeated  at  Majuba,  not  even  a  Gladstonian  Govern- 
ment would  have  consented  to  the  cession  of  the  Transvaal.  For 
several    years    after    the    cession    the    material    prosperity    of    the 


;{12  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTPI  AFRICA 

Transvaal  declined,  and  the  financial  position  of  the  South  African 
Republic  became  so  desperate  that  the  administration,  rough  and 
rudimentary  as  it  was,  was  almost  paralyzed  for  lack  of  funds. 
The  discovery  of  Witwatersrand  gold  mines  altered  the  whole 
complexion  of  affairs.  I  have  seen  it  stated  that  the  permission 
granted  by  the  Republic  to  British  capitalists  and  British  miners 
to  prospect  and  develop  the  gold  mines  at  their  own  cost  and  risk 
is  proof  of  the  liberality  of  the  Transvaal  Government.  No  claim 
could  be  more  absurd.  The  Treaty  of  Pretoria,  whatever  else  it 
may  have  left  obscure,  laid  down  clearly  that  British  subjects  had 
the  same  rights  as  the  Boers  to  trade  and  carry  on  business  within 
the  territory  of  the  Republic.  The  Boers  were  utterly  incapable  of 
working  the  mines,  while  their  working  was  indispensable  to  the 
rescue  of  the  Republic  from  financial  ruin.  The  Government  of 
Pretoria  had,  therefore,  no  option  except  to  allow  Uitlanders  to 
work  the  mines  on  the  same  terms  as  those  conceded  to  Boer 
miners  by  the  constitution.  Moreover,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Rand,  the  prospects  of  mining  enterprise  were  too  remote  and  too 
uncertain  for  mining  concessions  to  obtain  a  ready  market.  It  was 
only  after  the  mining  industry  had  been  for  some  time  in  operation 
that  the  Uitlanders  began  to  pour  into  the  Transvaal.  Yet,  even 
before  that  date.  President  Kruger  had  already  displayed  the 
animosity  towards  the  British  element  which  has  persistently 
characterized  his  whole  subsequent  policy. 

By  the  Gruhdvet,  or  Constitution  of  1855,  all  white  aliens  were 
declared  entitled  under  the  Republic  to  enjoy  equal  rights  with 
the  Boers  on  purchasing  the  right  to  citizenship.  In  1876,  when 
the  Republic  was  urgently  in  need  of  fresh  immigrants,  this  con- 
dition   was    further   modified.    Naturalized   citizens   were   declared 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  313 

entitled  to  equal  rights  with  native-born  citizens,  and  naturalization 
was  granted  as  a  matter  of  right,  not  of  favor,  to  any  white  man 
who  had   either  acquired  real   estate   under   the    Republic   or  had 
resided   for  one  year  within   its  jurisdiction.    This  was  the  law  of 
the  state  when  England  restored   the  independence  of  the  Trans- 
vaal by  the  Treaty  of  Pretoria.    The  whole  spirit,  if  not  the  letter, 
of  the  treaty,  is  inconsistent  with  the  subsequent  endeavors  of  the 
Transvaal    Government   to   exclude    British    immigrants    from    the 
rights   of   citizenship.     But  it   appears  that,  with  the  fatuous  folly 
which  signalized  the  action  in  South  Africa  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment of  the  day,  no  distinct  provision  was  made  in  tlie  treaty  for 
securing  to  British  settlers  in  the  South  African  Republic  the  polit- 
ical   rights    to  which  they  were  entitled   under  the  then  existing 
constitution.    Only  one  year  after  our  cession  of  the  Transvaal  the 
Volksraad  passed  a  law  enacting  that  white  aliens  could  only  obtain 
naturalization  after  five  years'  residence  in  the  country.    This  law 
remained  in  force  till  1890.    By  that  time  the  hamlet  of  Johannes- 
burg  had    been   converted    by    British    labor,    British    energy,   and 
British  capital  into  one  of  the  largest  cities  of  South  Africa,  with 
a  population  closely  approximating  in  numbers  to  the  whole  Boer 
population   of    the    Republic.      By    this    time,  too,  it    had    become 
obvious  that  the  mining  enterprise  of  the  Rand  was  certain  to  be 
a  permanent  industry,  not,  as  many  people  imagined  at  the  outset, 
a   mere  flash  in   the   pan.     It  became  clear,  too,  that  this  industry 
would   have  to   be  carried  on,  as  it  had  been  initiated,  by  British 
enterprise,  and  that  therefore  the   British  resident  population  was 
likely  to   form   an   important  and   permanent  factor  in  the  Trans- 
vaal.   Thereupon  President  Kruger  induced  the  Volksraad  to  enact 
laws   virtually  disfranchising  the   Uitlanders,  nine-tenths  of  whom 


:JU  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

were  then,  and  probably  are  still,  British  subjects.  By  the  laws 
then  enacted  any  white  alien  who  desires  to  obtain  political  rights 
in  flic  Transvaal  must  first  enroll  himself  on  the  list  of  the  Feld 
Cornet  of  his  district,  and  thereby  render  himself  liable  to  be 
called  out  for  military  service.  Only  after  two  years'  enrollment 
is  he  entitled  to  apply  for  naturalization,  provided  always,  that 
throughout  the  whole  of  this  period  he  has  resided  continuously 
in  the  Transvaal.  He  has  then  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  Republic,  an  act  whereby  he  forfeits  the  citizenship  of  his  own 
country,  without  obtaining  the  citizenship  of  his  adopted  country, 
until  such  time  as  letters  of  naturalization  have  been  issued. 
These  letters  cannot,  by  the  law,  be  issued  for  ten  years  after  the 
oath  of  allegiance  has  been  taken.  Even  when  this  long  period 
has  elapsed  and  all  the  requisite  conditions  have  been  duly  com- 
plied with,  the  Uitlander  who  desires  to  become  an  enfranchised 
burgher  or.  in  other  words,  to  obtain  a  vote,  cannot  claim  enfran- 
chisement as  a  matter  of  right  unless  two-thirds  of  the  existing 
electorate  in  his  district,  the  overwhelming  majority  of  whom 
under  the  present  franchise  are  and  must  be  Boers,  express  an 
opinion  that  he  is  a  fit  and  proper  person  to  enjoy  the  same  polit- 
ical rights  as  they  do  themselves.  It  might  have  been  thought 
that  these  regulations  were  strict  enough  to  hinder  any  consider- 
able number  of  Uitlanders  from  seeking  to  become  citizens  of  the 
Republic.  It  seems,  however,  to  have  struck  the  President  and  his 
advisers  that  their  policy  of  exclusion  might  possibly  be  frustrated 
by  the  efflux  of  time.  As  life  in  the  mining  centers  became  organ- 
ized the  Uitlanders  in  tlie  Rand  made  homes  for  themselves, 
man-ied  or  sent  for  their  wives  from  home,  and  got  families,  the 
children  being,  therefore,  Transvaal  born  and  Transvaal  bred.    By 


THE  nRST  ENGLISH  PRISONERS. 


THE  CHARGE  OF  THE  GORDONS  AT  ELANDS  LAAGTE. 


ENGLISH  POIM'  OF  VIEW  H17 

the  custom  of  civilized  nations,  children  l>orn  of  foreign  parents 
domiciled  in  an  independent  state  are  entitled,  on  attaining  their 
majority,  to  decide  whether  the}'  prefer  the  nationality  of  the  land 
of  their  birth  to  that  of  their  parents.  If  this  custom,  which 
approximates  to  an  article  of  international  law,  in  as  far  as  inter- 
national law^  can  be  said  to  have  any  real  existence,  had  been 
observed  in  the  South  African  Republic,  there  would  have  been 
already  a  considerable  number  of  children  born  of  British  parents 
in  the  Transvaal  who  would  soon  he  entitled  to  claim  citizenship 
in  the  land  of  their  birth;  while  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  the 
adult  males  in  the  Transvaal  born  of  Uitlander  parents  must  have 
inevitably  outnumbered  those  of  Boer  descent.  To  avert  this  con- 
tingency the  Volksraad,  at  President  Kruger"s  instigation,  passed  a 
law  in  1894  decreeing  that  children  of  alien  parentage,  even  though 
born  and  bred  in  the  Transvaal,  could  have  no  claim  to  citizenship  in 
respect  of  their  birth  on  Transvaal  soil,  unless  their  fathers  had  taken 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Republic  prior  to  their  birth.  Under  the 
restrictions  I  have  enumerated  Uitlanders  in  the  Transvaal  have 
now  little  or  no  inducement  in  as  far  as  they  themselves  are  con- 
cerned, to  transfer  their  allegiance.  The  practical  result,  therefore, 
has  been,  and  was  intended  to  be.  to  hindei'.  not  only  British  or 
other  aliens  resident  in  the  Transvaal  from  obtaining  citizenship, 
but  to  debar  their  children  from  obtaining  their  rights  as  white 
men  born  in  the  Transvaal.  To  add  insult  to  injury  the  Uitlanders 
were,  in  the  same  year,  accorded  the  barren  privilege  of  taking 
part,  under  many  restrictions,  in  the  elections  to  the  so-called 
Second  Volksraad,  a  sort  of  debating  society  which  has  as  little 
influence  over  the  First  Volksraad  as  the  Oxford  T^nion  has  over 
the  legislation  of  the   House  of  Commons. 

17 


aiS  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Thus,  from  the  first  days  of  the  resuscitated  Republic  it  became 
ol)vious  to  all  who  studied  the  question,  that  the  rulers  of  the 
Transvaal  intended  to  keep  all  political  representation  as  an  absolute 
monoply  of  the  Boers.  It  may  be  said  that  the  Uitlanders  ou^ht, 
by  rights,  to  have  realized  this  fact  before  they  settled  themselves 
within  the  territory  of  the  Republic.  But  in  the  early  days  of  the 
gold  fever  the  Uitlanders  had  little  or  no  ground  for  suspicion. 
They  were  welcomed  by  the  Transvaal  authorities  under  the  expecta- 
tion, which  proved  fully  justified,  that  their  services  would  rescue 
the  Republic  from  an  impending  financial  catastrophe,  and  they 
were  assured  that  the  government  would  facilitate  in  every  way 
the  free  exercise  of  their  industry.  During  the  first  two  or  three 
years  the  relations  between  the  mining  community  and  the  Govern- 
ment of  Pretoria  were  fairly  harmonious,  and  if  the  same  relations 
had  continued  there  would,  I  fancy,  have  been  for  a  considerable 
time  to  come,  no  serious  popular  agitation  for  political  reform. 
Various  causes  account  for  the  apathy  displayed  in  the  early  days 
by  the  Uitlanders  in  asserting  their  claim  to  political  equality 
with  the  Boers.  In  the  first  flush  of  the  gold  fever  every  Uitlauder 
who  entered  the  Transvaal  in  connection  with  mining  enterprises 
imagined  he  was  about  to  realize  a  fortune  in  no  time.  Men  were 
too  busy  gold  hunting  to  think  of  their  personal  comforts,  still  less 
of  their  political  rights.  It  was  only  as  the  truth  dawned  upon  the 
miners  that  the  great  mass  of  immigrants  would  have  to  be  con- 
tented with  a  moderate  competence  earned  by  long  years  of  constant 
toil,  that  they  began  to  think  of  settling  themselves  permanently 
in  the  Transvaal.  Then,  too,  it  is  difficult  for  anyone  who  did  not 
know  the  Rand  in  its  comparative  infancy,  to  understand  the  utter 
distrust  of  the  home  government  w^hich  prevailed  in  those    days 


ENGLISH  Point  of  view  81;j 

among  all  classes  of  the  mining  world.  During  my  sojourn  there, 
the  universal  sentiment  seemed  to  me  to  be  that,  bad  as  the  rule 
of  Pretoria  might  be,  it  was  in  any  case  better  for  the  Rand  than 
that  of  Downing  Street.  The  idea  that  England,  which  had  capit- 
ulated after  the  defeat  of  Majuba,  and  which  had  thrown  away 
the  richest  province  of  her  empire  with  as  little  thought  or  care 
as  if  it  had  been  a  worn-out  glove,  would  ever  interfere  on  behalf 
of  British  interests  in  the  Transvaal,  would,  in  those  days,  have 
been  scouted  as  absurd  by  the  Uitlanders  of  Johannesburg.  This 
being  so,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  if,  before  Cecil  Rhodes  had 
become  prominent  in  public  life,  and  had  restored  the  credit  of 
Great  Britain  in  South  Africa  by  his  'forward  policy,'  the  British 
settlers  in  the  Transvaal  should  have  acquiesced  in  the  virtual 
suspension  of  their  political  rights. 

What,  then,  brought  about  the  Uitlanders'  demand  for  political 
enfranchisement?  I  should  answer  unhesitatingly,  the  action  of  the 
Boer  Government  and  especially  of  President  Kruger.  It  is  a  very 
common  impression  in  England  that  the  Boers  of  the  Transvaal 
are  a  primitive.  Arcadian  race,  utterly  indifferent  to  pecuniary 
considerations,  and  caring  for  nothing  beyond  the  right  to  live  out 
their  lives  after  their  own  fashion.  The  Boers,  in  reality,  are  peas- 
ant farmers  with  all  the  virtues  and  all  the  failings  of  their  class. 
Simple  in  their  habits,  frugal  in  their  expenditure,  narrow  and 
almost  sordid  in  their  tastes  and  customs,  they  have  no  desire  for 
luxury  or  for  social  advancement.  On  the  other  hand,  they  have 
all  the  peasant's  instinct  for  money  making;  the  peasant's  greed  of 
solid  coin  which  can  be  handled  and  hoarded.  Owing  to  their 
ignorance  they  often  get  cheated,  but  in  all  dealings  within  their 
competence  they  are  good  hands  at   making   a   hard    bargain,  keen 


a20  THE  8T0UY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

and  not  over  scrupulous  chapmen  of  their  own  wares.  They  do 
not  understand  credit,  they  distrust  checks  and  bills  and  bank- 
notes; but  for  golden  sovereigns  they  are  willing  and  anxious,  as 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  British  speculators  know  to  their  cost,  to 
sell  tlioir  material  possessions  at  exorbitant  prices.  It  is  true  that 
the  Boers  make  little  use  or  display  of  the  wealth  thus  acquired. 
But  with  them,  as  with  the  rest  of  mankind,  the  mere  possession 
of  wealth  led  to  the  craving  for  more;  and  this  craving  naturally 
made  itself  most  manifest  at  the  seat  of  government.  As  soon  as 
the  Transvaal  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  sort  of  Tom  Tidler's 
ground,  a  number  of  nondescript  adventurers  collected  at  Pretoria, 
not  only  from  all  parts  of  South  Africa,  but  from  all  parts  of 
Europe.  These  adventurers  soon  got  into  intimate  relations  with 
the  Hollanders,  or  Dutch  officials  of  European  birth,  by  whom  the 
work  of  administration  has  to  be  conducted  in  the  Transvaal,  owing 
to  the  utter  incapacity  of  the  Boers  as  a  body,  for  any  work 
requiring  education  and  knowledge  of  business.  There  was  thus 
formed  a  sort  of  ring,  which  obtained  the  ear  of  the  President,  and 
through  him  the  support  of  his  ministers  and  of  the  Volksraad. 
When  once  the  gold  mining  industry  had  become  permanently 
established  upon  a  paying  footing  by  British  enterprise  and  British 
capital,  tlie  ring  pointed  out  to  their  associates  at  Pretoria,  the 
possibility  of  making  money  by  bringing  official  pressure  to  bear 
so  as  to  divert  the  profits  of  the  mines  from  the  pockets  of  the 
Uitlander  into  those  of  the  Boer  Government  and  its  friends.  I  am 
not  discussing  now  the  relative  financial  morality  of  Pretoria  as 
compared  with  that  of  Johannesburg.  It  may  have  been  a  case  of 
diamond  cut  diamond.  All  I  can  contend  is  that  the  diamond  which  is 
being  cut,  naturally  and  reasonably,  objects  to  the  process  of  cutting. 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  821 

How  far  President  Kruger  was  fully  cognizant  of  the  nature  of 
the  various  transactions  to  which  he  gave  his  personal  and  public 
sanction  and  support,  or  how  far  he  participated  dii-ectl}'  in  the 
profits  of  these  transactions,  is  a  matter  on  which  I  do  not  desire 
to  express  anj^  opinion.  I  think  it  probable  that  the  Pretoria  ring 
played  upon  his  intense  antipathy  to  the  English,  and  led  him  to 
believe  that  by  rendering  the  production  of  gold  less  profitable  for 
the  Uitlanders  than  it  would  have  been  otherwise,  he  was  diminish- 
ing the  danger  of  their  obtaining  political  power,  a  thing  which,  as 
he  was  well  aware,  must  prove  fatal  to  his  own  supremacy.  This 
much,  however,  is  certain,  that  from  the  time  the  Pretoria  ring 
came  into  active  existence  the  policy  of  the  Transvaal  Government 
became  also  distinctly  hostile  to  the  mining  interests. 

The  main  requisites  for  working  the  mines  at  a  profit,  are  a 
plentiful  and  regular  supply  of  native  labor,  a  moderate  cost  of 
livelihood  for  all  persons  employed  at  the  mine,  and  facilities  of 
procuring  the  materials  needed  for  mining  purposes  at  reasonable 
rates.  Either  from  ignorance  or  from  deliberate  intent,  the  action 
of  President  Kruger's  Government  has  been  directed  with  the 
apparent  object  of  artificially  increasing  the  cost  of  mining.  One 
concession  after  another  has  been  granted  to  relatives,  friends,  or 
supporters  of  the  government;  all  of  them  establishing  monopolies 
in  the  supply  of  articles  in  general  use  by  the  mining  community. 
As  in  the  case  of  all  monopolies,  inferior  articles  have  been  supplied 
at  extravagant  rates.  To  cite  a  few  examples  out  of  many,  a 
monopoly  has  been  given  for  the  supply  of  dynamite,  by  which  the 
mines  are  calculated  to  sustain  a  loss  of  £600,000  a  year;  again, 
the  right  of  manufacturing  spirits  within  the  Transvaal  has  been 
conceded  to  a  single  Hrm,  which  makes  some  £100,000  annually  out 


322  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

of  the  monopoly.  With  the  object  of  favoring  holders  of  these 
iind  similar  concessions,  excessive  and  almost  prohibitive  duties 
liave  been  placed  on  the  importations  from  abroad  of  the  articles 
which  ihoy  alone  are  entitled  to  produce  within  the  territory  of 
the  Republic.  A  monopoly  of  railway  construction  has  also  been 
accorded  to  a  Dutch  company,  in  which  the  president  and  his 
friends  are  largely  interested;  and,  as  a  result  of  this  monopoly, 
not  only  has  railway  communication  with  the  Transvaal  been 
retarded  for  years,  but  the  lines  constructed  from  the  Cape  and 
Natal  have  been  precluded  from  competing  on  fair  terms  with  the 
Delagoa  Bay  Line,  which  enjoys  the  special  patronage  of  the  govern- 
ment. In  consequence,  the  cost  of  transporting  machinery  and  all 
other  imported  articles  from  the  seaports  is  artificially  enhanced 
to  an  extravagant  extent.  Again,  every  diflBculty  has  been  placed 
in  the  way  of  the  mines  obtaining  a  regular  and  eflScient  supply 
of  native  labor.  The  natives  are  willing  and  anxious  to  obtain 
employment  at  the  mines,  as  the  prices  paid  by  the  companies  vary 
from  25s.  to  30s.  a  week,  whereas  the  wages  paid  by  the  Boers  for 
agricultural  labors  do  not  exceed,  at  the  best  of  times,  10s.  to  20s. 
a  month.  The  natives,  however,  are  deterred  from  coming  to  the 
mines  by  the  knowledge  that  when  they  have  completed  their 
term  of  contract  and  are  returning  home  with  their  wages,  they 
are  liable  to  be  mulcted  of  their  earnings  on  one  pretense  or  another 
by  the  local  Boer  authorities  of  the  district  through  which  they 
have  to  pass.  Moreover,  an  impression  prevails  amidst  the  natives 
that  the  Boers  do  not  look  with  favor  on  their  taking  service  with 
the  miners;  and  this  impression,  whether  founded  or  unfounded, 
acting  on  the  minds  of  a  timid  and  oppressed  race,  is  suflQcient  to 
check  the   free  supply  of  native   labor.      Representations  on   this 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  323 

subject  have  been  frequently  made  to  the  government,  but  have 
met  with  no  response.  The  value,  too,  of  native  labor,  even  when 
procured  at  the  mines  at  extravagant  rates,  is  materiall}'  diminished 
by  the  habit  of  intoxication,  so  prevalent  amidst  the  natives  when- 
ever they  have  any  money  in  their  pockets.  The  mining  companies, 
in  their  own  interest,  do  all  they  possibly  can  to  promote  temper- 
ance among  their  workmen;  but  their  efforts  are  baffled  by  the 
action  of  the  government  in  granting  canteen  licences  right  and 
left  in  close  proximity  to  the  works.  The  manager  of  one  single 
mine  reported  recently:  'We  have  in  our  employ  about  1,500  natives; 
on  an  average  375  of  these  are  daily  unfit  to  enter  the  mines 
through  the  vile  liquor  which  they  have  every  facility  for  obtaining.' 
It  may  be  judged  from  this  instance  how  heavy  a  total  loss  is 
sustained  by  the  mines  owing  to  the  absence  of  any  regulation  in 
the  liquor  traffic.  Repeated  remonstrances  have  been  addressed  to 
Pretoria  about  the  indiscriminate  issue  of  liquor  licences,  but 
hitherto  they  have  been  completely  in  vain. 

I  might  quote  any  number  of  similar  grievances.  Taken  one 
by  one  they  may  not  seem  unbearable.  But  taken  collectively,  as 
part  and  parcel  of  a  deliberate  policy,  they  constitute  a  formidable 
burden  on  the  mining  industry.  The  evils  complained  of  come 
home,  it  should  be  remembered,  to  every  man,  woman  and  child  of 
Uitlander  race  in  the  Transvaal.  The  popular  resentment  caused 
by  this  oppressive  and  exorbitant  taxation  is  mcreased  l)y  the 
knowledge  that  the  Transvaal  Government,  thanks  to  the  Uitlanders, 
has  no  excuse  for  raising  money  for  purposes  of  revenue,  and  that 
the  money  thus  unnecessarily  extracted  is  employed  for  objects  of 
which  the  Uitlanders  most  justly  disapprove,  such  as  the  erection 
of  forts  at  Pretoria  and  Johannesburg,  and  the  purchase  of  cannon, 


:{24  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

^'uns  and  ammunition,  for  which  there  is  no  conceivable  use,  except 
that  of  coercing  the  Uitlanders  into  subjection.  Long  since  the 
Uitlanders  had  exhausted  all  the  means  by  which  their  grievances 
could  be  redressed  under  the  existing  regime.  They  had  appealed 
to  the  President,  they  had  appealed  to  the  Volksraad,  they  had 
appealed  to  the  courts  of  law,  and  in  every  case  their  appeals  had 
been  dismissed  with  empty  words,  if  not  with  actual  contumely. 
Unwillingly  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  only  chance  of 
getting  their  practical  grievances  redressed  lay  in  obtaining  the 
political  rights  to  which  they  were  justly  entitled. 

T  hear  it  stated  constantly  that  if  the  Uitlanders  had  only 
waited  they  would  have  got  what  they  wanted,  through  the  gradual 
increase  of  their  numbers,  their  wealth  and  their  influence.  Their 
answer  to  such  a  statement  is  that  they  had  waited  patiently  for 
some  ten  years,  that  during  this  decade  they  had  increased  in 
numbers,  wealth  and  influence  at  a  rate  they  were  never  likely  to 
surpass  in  future,  and  yet  that  their  position  at  the  close  of 
this  period  of  patient  waiting  had  become  worse  than  it  was  at 
the  outset.  They  allege,  further,  that  the  increase  of  their  numbers, 
the  gro^\i:h  of  their  industry,  and  the  extension  of  their  influence, 
had  alarmed  the  President  and  the  Volksraad,  and  that  in  view  of 
this  alarm  the  government  of  Pretoria  had  been  negotiating 
underhand  with  foreign  powers  in  order  to  obtain  their  assistance 
in  crushing  the  Uitlander  community  before  it  became  too  power- 
ful to  be  crushed  at  all.  The  exact  character  of  the  communica- 
tions which  undoubtedly  took  place  between  Pretoria,  Berlin. 
Amsterdam  and  Paris,  is  still  unknown,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  these  communications  contemplated  the  introduction  of  a 
continental     element    into    tlie    Transvaal    to    be    employed    as   a 


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BOERS  DESTROYING  NATAL  RAILWAY  TRACK. 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  327 

counterpoiut  to  the  British  element.  It  is  obvious  that  this  policy 
has  not  yet  been  abandoned,  and  that  the  object  of  President 
Kruger's  persistent  efforts  is  to  get  the  Convention  of  1884  annulled 
or  modified  so  as  to  enable  the  Republic  to  do  openly  what  it  has 
hitherto  done  secretly,  that  is,  to  enter  into  arrangements  with 
some  European  power  strong  enough  to  assist  the  Transvaal  in 
undermining  the  hold  which  the  British  have  acquired  by  their 
connection  with  the  mining  interests.  Under  these  circumstances 
1  fail  to  see  how  the  Uitlanders  can  be  blamed  for  having  taken 
up  arms  in  order  to  obtain  the  political  rights  essential,  not  only 
to  their  self-respect,  but  to  the  security  of  their  lives  and  the 
safety  of  their  property.  In  every  village  of  the  United  States 
speeches  are  delivered  on  Independence  Day,  lauding  the  heroism 
of  the  founders  of  the  Republic  for  having  *i-ebelled  against  the 
tyranny  of  poor  George  the  Third.  Yet  the  grievances  which  the 
American  colonists  sustained  at  the  hands  of  the  mother  country, 
and  for  whose  redress  they  rose  in  insurrection,  are  utterly  insig- 
nificant compared  with  the  exactions  which  our  British  fellow 
countrymen  have  undergone  for  years,  owing  to  the  action  of  the 
Boer  Government.  I  quite  admit  that  the  American  insurrection 
succeeded,  and  that  the  Uitlander  insurrection  has  failed.  But  the 
causes  of  insurrection  are  independent  of  its  actual  result;  and  the 
grievances  of  which  the  Uitlanders  have  just  cause  to  complain 
are  the  same  to-day  as  they  were  before  Dr.  Jameson  crossed  the 
frontier,  and  before  the  inhabitants  of  Johannesburg  surrendered  to 
the  Boers,  in  obedience  to  the  commands  of  the  Queen's  represen- 
tatives, and  on  the  faith  of  pledges  given  by  these  representatives 
that  if  they  gave  up  their  arms  the  influence  of  Great  Britain 
would  be  exerted  to  secure  the  removal  of  their  wrongs. 


328  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

The  question,  therefore,  which  has  to  be  considered  by  the 
British  public  is,  first,  to  what  extent  England  is  bound  to  uphold 
the  cause  of  the  Uitlanders  as  her  own;  and  secondly,  supposing 
this  to  be  her  duty,  by  what  means  she  can  catTy  out  the  object 
she  has  in  view.  What  we  ought  to  do  is  to  my  mind  simple  and 
clear  enough.  Not  only  as  a  paramount  power  in  South  Africa, 
not  only  as  the  natural  protector  of  Englishmen  abroad  as  well  as 
at  home,  but  as  the  spokesman  of  the  British  Empire,  England 
ought  now  to  insist  upon  the  Treaty  of  Pretoria  being  observed  in 
the  spirit  as  well  as  in  the  letter,  and  upon  the  Uitlanders  being 
placed  in  a  position  of  equality  with  the  Boers.  As  to  the  precise 
mode  and  as  to  the  exact  period  in  which  this  object  can  be  best 
effected,  I  should  allow  considerable  latitude  to  the  South  African 
Republic.  Recent  occurrences  have  undoubtedly  deprived  us,  to 
some  extent,  to  the  right  of  employing  as  much  direct  pressure  as 
we  should  otherwise  have  been  justified  in  exerting.  But  when 
every  reasonable  concession  has  been  made  to  the  objections  and 
even  the  prejudices  of  the  Transvaal,  we  should  let  the  Government 
of  Pretoria  clearly  understand  that  the  Uitlanders  are  entitled  to 
the  political  rights  of  freemen  ;  that  this  claim  must  be  accorded 
without  any  unnecessary  delay ;  and  that  any  attempt  to  evade  this 
obligation  will  be  treated  by  England  as  a  breach  of  faith  on  the 
part  of  the  South  African  Republic,  as  a  violation  of  the  funda- 
mental pact  entered  into  by  her  as  the  price  of  the  recovery  of  her 
independence.  If  the  resources  of  diplomatic  skill  can  render  the 
presentation  of  such  an  ultimatum  to  the  Boer  Government  less 
offensive  than  it  would  be  otherwise,  let  the  resources  be  called 
into  play  and  given  due  time  to  operate.  But,  whatever  else  is  said 
and    done,    no    doubt  must   be   left   on   the   Boer   mind   that  this 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  320 

demand  on  the  part  of  England  is  of  the  nature  of  an  ultimatum; 
a  demand,  compliance  with  which,  if  moral  persuasion  should 
fail,  must,  in  the  last  resort,  be  enforced  by  arms. 

It  would,  indeed,  be  folly  to  shut  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that  if 
Great  Britain  takes  up  the  cause  of  the  Uitlanders  in  the  Transvaal, 
she  may  conceivably  be  called  upon  to  face  the  contingency  of 
war.  There  are  certain  considerations  which  render  such  a  con- 
tingency less  utterly  improbable  than  it  would  be  between  any  two 
other  powers  so  strangely  out  of  proportion  in  respect  of  their 
relative  strength.  A  considerable  section  of  the  Transvaal  Boers 
honestly  believe  that  on  account  of  the  orthodoxy  of  their  rigid 
Calvinist  faith  they  are  God's  chosen  people,  and  that  the  Almighty 
will  put  forth  His  power,  as  they  hold  He  did  at  Majuba,  to  save 
His  people  from  the  attacks  of  their  enemies.  A  still  more  con- 
siderable section  amidst  the  Transvaal  Boers  believe  honestly,  I  am 
ashamed  to  say,  that  the  English  troops  are  afraid  to  meet  them 
in  battle,  and  that  after  the  repulses  we  have  received  in  the  past, 
we  have  not  the  pluck  left  to  fight  again.  Neither  of  these  beliefs, 
however,  can  be  entertained  with  any  conviction  by  President 
Kruger  or  the  advisers  by  whom  he  is  surrounded.  On  the  other 
hand  there  is  a  deep-rooted  conviction  in  what  may  be  called  the 
Governmental  circles  of  the  Republic — a  conviction  based  upon  a 
quarter  of  a  century's  experience  of  our  vacillating  and  invertebrate 
policy  in  South  Africa — that  the  British  Government  cannot 
seriously  contemplate  a  second  war  with  the  Transvaal,  and  that 
even  if  such  a  war  were  contemplated  it  would  never  be  sanctioned 
by  British  public  opinion.  Moreover,  in  these  same  circles  the 
belief  prevails  that,  even  if  the  British  Government  and  the  British 
public  were  really  in  earnest  in  their  determination  to  redress  the 


330  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

wrongs  of  the  Uitlanders  at  the  risk  of  a  war  with  the  Transvaal, 
this  determination  would  die  away  if  once  our  proposed  interven- 
tion in  the  Transvaal  seemed  likely  to  lead  to  complications  with 
continental  powers.  It  is  well  understood,  too,  at  Pretoria,  that 
there  is  more  than  one  continental  power  which  would  be  glad  to 
take  part  in  any  demonstration  directed  against  the  assertions  of 
Great  Britain's  supremacy  as  the  paramount  power  in  South  Africa. 
In  other  words,  President  Kruger  and  the  leading  public  men  at 
Pretoria  are  not  unlikely  to  labor  under  the  dangerous  delusion 
that  if  they  can  only  bluff  high  and  long  enough  they  can  bluff 
England  out  of  any  idea  of  staking  her  fortunes  on  the  issue  of  a 
war  with  the  Transvaal. 

All  the  warlike  preparation  which  President  Kruger  is  reported 
to  be  making,  and  all  his  negotiations  with  the  view  of  enlisting 
the  sympathies  of  the  Dutch  in  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the 
Cape  Colony,  have,  if  I  am  right,  a  double  object.  Their  primary 
object  is  to  hinder  the  British  colonists  in  South  Africa  from 
making  common  cause  with  their  fellow  countrymen  in  the  Trans- 
vaal. Their  secondary  and  principal  object  is  to  impress  the  British 
Government  and  the  British  public  with  the  belief  that  any  armed 
intervention  on  our  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  Transvaal  would  be 
resisted  by  the  whole  Dutch  population  of  South  Africa,  and,  if 
necessary,  resisted  to  the  death.  This  bellicose  attitude  is,  in  fact, 
as  I  hold,  a  mere  move  in  the  game  of  bluff.  If  England  proposed 
to  make  war  in  the  Transvaal  with  the  object  of  reannexing  the 
territory  of  the  Republic  and  replacing  the  Transvaal  Boers  under 
the  rule  of  the  British  Crown,  our  action  would  be  bitterly  resented 
by  the  Cape  and  Free  State  Boers,  though  even  then  I  do  not 
believe  their  resentment  would  proceed  to  the  length   of  inducing 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  331 

them  to  join  in  any  war  waged  against  the  might  of  the  British 
Empire.  But  both  in  the  Colony  and  in  the  Free  State  the  mass 
of  the  Dutch  community  are  perfectly  well  aware  that  all  England 
either  asks  or  desires  from  the  Transvaal  is  that  English  and 
Dutch  in  the  South  African  Republic  should  be  placed  on  the  same 
footing  of  political  equality  as  they  enjoy  in  every  other  part  of 
British  South  Africa.  It  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  Cape  and 
Free  State  Boers  will  risk  their  lives,  their  libei'ties  and  their 
fortunes,  in  order  to  assist  their  fellow  kinsmen  in  the  Transvaal 
in  upholding  a  policy  which  they  know  to  be  unjust  and  irrational, 
and,  what  is  more  important  still,  opposed  to  the  interests  of  the 
Afrikander  cause. 

Thus,  if  conviction  can  once  be  brought  home  to  President 
Kruger  and  his  colleagues  that  England  really  means  business,  the 
Transvaal  Government  will,  I  am  convinced,  give  way.  'Oom  Paul' 
is  far  too  shrewd  a  man  to  believe  in  the  chosen-people  theory  or 
in  the  notion  that  the  English  troops  are  lacking  in  courage  or  are 
inspired  by  abject  terror  of  the  Boers.  He  is  well  aware,  therefore, 
that  if  it  ever  comes  to  serious  fighting,  the  ultimate  defeat  of  the 
Boers  by  the  British  is  a  matter  of  absolute  certainty.  Still,  if 
England  once  puts  her  foot  down  she  must  be  prepared  to  face  the 
possible  contingency  of  a  war  with  the  Transvaal,  however  remote 
or  improbable  t'  at  contingency  may  appear  to  be. 

It  is  well,  therefore,  to  point  out  in  conclusion  what  the 
inevitable  consequences  must  be,  if,  from  fear  of  European  com- 
plications, from  dread  of  incurring  popular  displeasure  at  home,  or 
from  reluctance  to  run  the  risk  of  exciting  a  racial  conflict  in 
South  Africa,  the  British  Government  declines  to  put  its  foot  down, 
or,  in  other  words,  to  take  the  only  step  which  can  secure  political 


332  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

equality  for  our  fellow  countrymen  in  the  Transvaal.  For  the 
moment  the  Uitlaiulers,  left  to  themselves,  are  powerless  to  obtain 
redress.  The  Government  of  the  Transvaal,  flushed  with  success 
and  convinced  that  they  had  no  further  cause  to  fear  the  possi- 
bility of  British  intervention,  would  harden  their  hearts.  Fresh 
exactions  would  be  levied  on  the  British  mining  interests,  fresh 
restrictions  would  be  placed  on  the  free  development  of  the  British 
element  in  the  Transvaal,  fresh  concessions,  monopolies  and  privi- 
leges would  be  granted  to  the  Pretoria  ring  at  the  cost  of  the 
Uitlanders;  fresh  encouragement  would  be  given  to  German  and 
French  enterprise,  as  opposed  to  British  enterprise,  throughout  the 
Transvaal;  fresh  negotiations  would  be  entered  upon  with  all 
interests,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  which  were  likely  to  prove 
hostile  to  British  interests;  and  every  attempt  would  be  made  to 
create  an  impression  in  South  Africa  that  Confederation  could  best 
be  brought  about  in  the  form  of  an  independent  Dutch  Republic, 
not  in  that  of  a  self-governing  dominion  forming  an  integral  part 
of  the  British  Empire.  This  policy  would  be  facilitated  by  the 
fact  that  the  British  settlers  in  South  Africa  would,  of  necessity, 
have  lost  faith  in  England's  possession  of  the  power  or  the  will  to 
fulfill  her  Imperial  mission. 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  Transvaal,  by  its  wealth,  its 
resources  and  its  central  position,  is  marked  out  as  the  leading 
state  in  any  South  African  confederation  of  the  future.  Upon  the 
hypothesis  to  which  I  refer,  the  Boer  element  in  this  state  would 
be  naturally  hostile  to  British  interests,  while  the  Uitlander  ele- 
ment would,  to  say  the  least,  be  indifferent,  if  the  English  settlers 
believed,  as  they  infallibly  would  believe,  that  they  had  been  deserted 
and   betrayed   by  the  mother  country  in  the  hour  of   their  need. 


ENGLISH  POINT  OF  VIEW  333 

Thus  the  attitude  assumed  towards  the  Transvaal  by  the  British 
Government  to-day  may  probably  decide  the  issue  whether  South 
Africa  is  destined  to  become  a  second  United  States  or  a  second 
Dominion  of  Canada,  a  confederacy  formed  upon  the  ideas  of  Mr. 
Rhodes  or  on  those  of  the  Afrikander  Bond  under  Mr.  Hofmeyr's 
influence.  Upon  this  issue  the  fortunes  of  the  British  Empire  may 
not  impossibly  be  found  to  turn.  By  standing  too  much  on  our 
rights  we  lost  North  America.  Are  we  prepared  by  standing  too 
little  on  our  rights  to  lose  South  Africa  also?  That  is  the  question 
of  the  day. 


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CHAPTER  XVII 


SOUTH    AFRICAN    TERRITORIES 


It  will  be  recalled  that  the  Parliament  of  Cape  Colony  is  com- 
posed of  a  Legislative  Council  elected  for  seven  years  and  a  House 
of  Assembly  elected  for  five  years.  Every  male  citizen  earning 
fifty  pounds  a  year,  or  occupying  a  house  or  lodging  and  able  to 
write  his  name  and  address,  has  a  right  to  vote.  Sir  Alfred  Milner, 
the  Governor  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  High  Commissioner 
for  South  Africa,  was  appointed  to  those  offices  ia  1897. 

The  military  forces  of  the  colony  consist  of  817  mounted  rifle- 
men and  6,535  volunteers,  and  also  1,413  mounted  police.  The  home 
government  maintains  detachments  of  British  troops  in  the  forts 
along  the  coast  and  has  a  squadron  of  fifteen  war  vessels  on  the 
Cape  and  African  station. 

The  total  length  of  the  railway  lines  belonging  to  the  govern- 
ment was  on  January  1,  1897,  2,253  miles,  with  96  miles  building. 
In  addition  to  this,  there  were  254  miles  of  private  lines  in  the 
course  of  construction.  The  total  length  of  the  telegraph  lines  on 
the  same  date  was  6,405  miles. 

Cecil  Rhodes  is  the  head  of  the  Progressive  Party,  as  it  is  termed, 
which  urged  the  removal  of  import  duties  on  meat  and  grain,  the 
imposition  of  an  excise  tax  on  brandy,  a  scab  act,  a  compulsory 
education  ))ill,  restriction  of  the  sale  of  drink  to  natives,  railway 
development  and  a  contribution  to  the  imperial  navy.  The  opposing 
party,  which  includes  most  of  the  Dutch  voters,  championed  the 
ideas     of     the     Afrikander    Bond,  as     against     the     imperialism   of 

18  ^337) 


838  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Mr.  Rhodes,  Dutch  opposition  to  English,  agricultural  rural  interests  in 
so  far  as  they  conflicted  with  commercial  and  industrial,  or  the 
country  against  the  towns.  The  well  known  policy  of  the  South 
African  League  was  first  propounded  by  Mr.  Rhodes,  it  being: 
Imperial  union  and  a  colonial  confederation  of  Cape  Colony,  Natal, 
Rhodesia,  and,  when  the  Uitlanders  should  gain  the  ascendency, 
of  the  Transvaal  also,  and  the  Orange  Free  State.  The  elections 
for  the  Legislative  Council  took  place  in  March  and  were  won  by 
the  Progressive  Party,  who  obtained  a  majority  of  two  in  a  body 
of  twenty-four  members  and  reduced  the  representatives  of  the 
Afrikander  Bond  from  eighteen  to  ten. 

While  the  population  of  Cape  Colony  has  considerably  increased 
during  the  last  years,  there  had  been  no  change  in  the  number  of 
representatives  in  the  Assembly.  All  parties  agreed  that  the  time 
had  come  for  an  increase,  but  they  by  no  means  agreed  upon  the 
methods  by  which  this  was  to  be  secured.  The  question  was  so 
important  that  in  December,  1897,  a  committee  was  appointed,  com- 
posed of  the  leading  men  of  all  parties,  and  sitting  under  the 
presidency  of  the  Prime  Minister,  whose  duty  it  was  to  discuss,  and, 
if  possible,  agree  upon  a  policy.  The  question  w^as  considered  with 
deliberation,  there  being  a  full  and  free  interchange  of  views,  as  a 
result  of  which  a  bill  was  framed  proposing  to  distribute  twelve  new 
members  among  the  constituencies  at  that  time  in  proportion  to 
their  growth,  and  the  creation  of  three  new  ones.  This  would 
increase  the  number  of  Assembly  members  from  seventy-nine  to 
ninety-four. 

Notwithstanding  the  introduction  of  an  educational  test  and  a 
property  qualification  by  the  franchise  act  of  1892,  the  number  of 
registered  voters  of  74,000  ni  1891,  grew  in  six  years  to  110,000.    A 


SOl'TIi    AFRICAN  TEHIMTORIES  339 

minority  report  of  the  committee  proposed  to  increase  the  Assembly 
to  ninety-seven  members.  This  was  signed  by  the  ministerial 
members,  and  was  meant  to  give  the  urban  constituencies  the 
same  proportional  increase  of  representation  as  was  given  by  the 
majority  report  to  several  of  the  smaller  Dutch  electoral  divisions. 
The  Legislature  adjourned  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  and  the  election 
took  place  in  August,  when  the  question  whicli  overwhelmed  all 
others  was  that  of  British  supremacy. 

Mr.  Rhodes  was  the  central  figure  in  this  battle.  He  had 
never  tried  to  disguise  his  hope  that  the  English  might  become 
absolutely  supreme  in  the  affairs  of  South  Africa,  their  authority 
to  be  unquestioned  in  all  matters  of  government.  Mr.  Rhodes  felt 
that  in  this  solution  of  the  question  lay  the  only  hope  of  a  peaceful 
and  progressive  Africa,  imperialism  to  extend  tiom  the  Mediterra- 
nean to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  All  other  questions  were  forced 
into  the  background,  with  the  result  that  the  Progressives  were 
beaten,  the  Afrikander  bond  securing  a  good  working  majority  in 
the  new  assembly.  Thus  the  race  struggle  for  political  supremacy 
ended  in  British  defeat. 

The  Orange  Free  State  next  claims  attention.  There  the  legis- 
lative power  is  vested  in  the  Volksraad,  which  is  a  single  chamber, 
consisting  of  fifty-eight  members,  half  of  whom  are  elected  every 
two  years  and  serve  for  double  that  period.  The  term  of  the  presi- 
dency is  for  five  years,  and  M.  T.  Steyn  was  elected  to  that  office, 
February  21,  1896.  We  have  already  learned  a  good  deal  about 
this  independent  republic,  whose  population  of  somewhat  less  than 
a  quarter  of  a  million,  steadily  grows  under  an  immigration  from 
Great  Britain,  Germany  and  Holland.  A  conference  of  delegates  was 
held  at  Pretoria  in  January,  189S,  to  discuss  the  basis  of  a  Federal 


',m  THE  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Union    between    the    Orange    Free    State    and    the   South   African 

Republic. 

The  State  President  in  the  bitter  is  elected  every  five  years, 
and  "Ooni  Paul"  Kruger  was  chosen  for  the  foui-th  time  in  1898. 
The  Vice-President  and  Commandant  General  is  Gen.  P.  J.  Joubert, 
elected  in  ISIK). 

Mr.  Rhodes,  firmly  believing  that  his  policy  would  in  the  finality 
result  in  the  greatest  good  to  Africa,  naturally  has  taken  a  strong 
interest  in  political  policies  governing  the  destiny  of  the  Republics 
and  the  English  colonies.  He  has  for  years  been  quite  active  in 
his  endeavor  to  shape  these  policies  and  make  them  conformant  to 
iiis  own  ideas.  The  Boers  of  the  Transvaal  government  have 
always  maintained  that  while  Mr.  Rhodes  was  prime  minister  of 
Cape  Colony  he  devised  the  scheme  which  ended  in  the  Jameson 
raid.  But  even  if  this  ))e  true,  it  only  accentuates  the  daring 
genius  of  the  man  who  would  brush  aside  all  things  to  accomplish 
the  end  in  view.  A  question  of  morality  need  not  enter  into  the 
discussion.  Napoleon  changed  the  map  of  Europe  by  utter  disre- 
gard of  so-called  ''right,''  and  yet  who  can  say  that  his  work  has 
not  been  attended  with  some  benefits  to  humanity?  Napoleon's 
imperialism  at  least  contained  an  element  of  democracy,  a  thing 
hateful  to  the  potentates  whom  he  forced  from  thrones  rotten  with 
injustice  and  oppression.  And  so  Rhodes  has  felt  that  English 
supremacy  is  better  than  Dutch  supremacy — the  question  of  who 
first  preempted  the  ground  being  overshadow^ed  by  a  vast 
design  — one  of  those  designs  which  furnish  scope  only  for  minds 
capable  of  empire  building.  But  the  wise  Kruger  fully  understood 
Rhodes ;  thus  these  two  leaders  were  face  to  face,  ready  for  the 
contest. 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  TEJ'iKITORrES  841 

The  spirit  of  the  President  and  the  Boers  was  shown  in 
January,  when,  in  accepting  one  of  the  new  forts  around  Pretoria, 
he  said  with  significant  emphasis,  that  the  best  guarantee  of  peace 
was  readiness  for  war.  -  The  popuiarit}'  of  Stephanus  Johannes 
Paulus  Kruger  was  shown  in  the  election  referred  to,  when  he 
received  12,858  votes  to  3,753  for  Schalk  Burger,  and  2,001  for 
General  Joubert,  the  vote  including  about  two-thirds  of  the 
electorate. 

A  constitutional  conflict  took  place  between  the  President  and 
Chief  Justice  Kotze,  its  opening  being  in  September,  1895,  when, 
during  the  pendency  of  the  case  of  Brown,  an  American  citizen, 
who  had  been  ousted  from  a  mining  claim,  he  brought  suit  for 
damages  against  the  State  Secretary.  The  High  Court  gave  judg- 
ment for  Brown  in  January,  1897,  denying  the  validity  of  a  Volks- 
raad  resolution  rescinding  the  proclamation  on  which  Brown  based 
his  claim,  but  the  Volksraad,  upon  reassembling,  passed  a  law 
declaring  that  such  testing  power  did  not  exist  and  never  had 
existed;  requiring  the  judges  of  the  High  Court  to  take  oath  that 
they  would  carry  out  all  laws  and  resolutions  of  the  Volksraad, 
and  not  presume  to  test  them  by  the  Constitution.  Moreover,  the 
Volksraad  voted  itself  power  to  dismiss  from  office  any  judge  who, 
in  answer  to  formal  interrogatories,  refused  to  observe  Volksraad 
laws  and  resolutions.  Such  legislation  in  this  country  would  have 
made  its  authors  a  laughing  stock  and  brought  a  lesson  to  them 
which  they  would  not  forget  in  a  lifetime.  The  members  of 
legislative  bodies  always  include  a  number  of  ignorant  and  corrupt 
men,  and  one  shudders  to  think  of  the  mischief  they  might  work 
when  their  acts  are  not  subject  to  review  by  a  judicial  body  above 
the  reach  of  politics  and  corruption. 


;;42  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

A  writtPii  jigreement  was  made  in  March,  1897,  on  the  repre- 
sentation of  the  Chief  Justice  of  Cape  Colony,  by  which  the  judges 
(tf  tlu^  High  Court  promised  not  to  exercise  the  review  power,  and 
President  Kruger  prepared  an  amendment  by  which  the  Constitu- 
tion could  be  changed  only  by  special  legislation,  and  safeguarding 
at  the  same  time  the  independence  of  the  judiciary.  The  President 
agreed,  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Cape  Colony  Chief  Justice, 
to  secure  the  appointment  of  a  commission  to  dispose  of  the 
question,  but  Judge  Kotze  supposed  a  bill  would  be  introduced  at 
once. 

The  sessions  of  the  committee  were  prolonged  and  when  the 
Volksraad  adjourned  nothing  had  been  done  to  secure  the  end 
named.  Thereupon  Justice  Kotze  wrote  to  President  Kruger  that 
he  accepted  such  inaction  as  the  collapse  of  the  understanding 
between  them,  but  the  President  held  that  he  was  not  obliged  to 
carry  through  the  legislation  the  judges  asked  for,  who  had  made 
an  agreement  not  to  test  the  acts  of  the  Volksraad.  Furthermore, 
he  accepted  Chief  Justice  Kotze's  refusal  to  answer  satisfactorily 
the  questions  previously  put  to  him  in  March,  1897,  in  consequence 
of  which  he  dismissed  him,  about  a  year  later,  from  office,  agree- 
ably to  a  decision  of  the  Executive  Council. 

The  Judge  refused  to  accept  this  summary  action  of  the  Presi- 
dent, claiming  that  the  law  aimed  at  him  was  no  law  at  all,  that 
his  appointment  was  for  life,  and  that  he  could  not  be  removed 
except  upon  charges  of  grave  misdemeanor.  In  accordance  with 
this  view,  the  Chief  Justice  declared  the  court  adjourned,  but  Judge 
Gregorowski,  who  had  been  appointed  acting  Chief  Justice,  imme- 
diately  opened  court.  Then  Justice  Kotze  addressed  a  manifesto 
to    the    people    of    the    Republic,  took    steamer    to    England    and 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  TEKKITURIES  :Ua 

appealed  to  the  British  Government  to  exercise  its  power  as 
suzerain  and  prevent  the  Outlanders  from  being  robbed  of  their 
liberty  and  rights  by  the  Boer  authorities.  He  reminded  the 
Government  that  he  had  been  appointed  for  life  by  England,  at 
the  time  her  forces  were  in  occupation  of  the  Transvaal.  Judge 
Gregorowski  was  sworn  in  as  Chief  Justice  on  the  last  day  of 
March. 

The  session  of  the  Volksraad  was  opened  May  2,  and  President 
Kruger  was  sworn  into  office  ten  days  later.  Among  the  measures 
he  proposed  was  the  withdrawal  of  licenses  from  banks  that 
oppressed  poor  people  and  added  to  the  existing  depression,  and, 
with  a  view  of  suppressing  spurious  mining  companies,  the  require- 
ment of  a  certificate  from  a  Government  engineer  before  a  company 
could  be  floated. 

More  than  once  the  British  Government  had  expressed  strong 
objections  to  the  alien's  expulsion  law,  and  in  deference  to  that 
feeling  it  was  so  amended,  on  the  demand  of  Mr.  Chamberlain,  that 
an  Uitlander,  accused  of  acts  threatening  the  peace  of  the  state 
and  consequently  liable  to  expulsion  by  executive  order,  was  first 
allowed  to  bring  forward  all  the  testimony  he  could  produce  in 
defense  of  his  rights. 

Other  bills  which,  as  straws,  showed  the  direction  of  the  wind, 
gave  the  executive  authority  to  decide  what  is  a  dishonoring 
sentence,  while  another  prohibited  any  alien,  not  a  burgher  or  a 
citizen  of  the  Orange  Free  State,  from  Ijringing  firearms  into  the 
Transvaal  without  a  permit  from  the  State  Secretary.  By  way  of 
encouraging  what  may  be  considered  "home  production,"  a  bill 
was  brought  forward  authorizing  the  Government  to  pay  £100 
to    any    needy    burgher,    who    had     twelve    sons     living.       A    bill 


:U4  THE  STUllY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

established  a  si-hool  of  mines  in  Pretoria  and  another  provided 
technical  schools  in  all  the  districts  which  were  to  be  open  only 
to  })nrghers'  sons.  The  municipal  franchise  was  extended  to  non- 
residents, owners  of  property  worth  £100,  but  disqualified  Uit- 
landers  from  the  office  of  municipal  councilor,  unless  a  separate 
law,  as  in  Johannesburg,  gave  them  such  privilege.  The  subsidies 
to  Uitlander  schools  were  continued  for  three  years  more  but  it 
was  provided  that  South  African  history  should  be  taught,  and 
Dutch  to  a  certain  standard. 

Judge  Reitz  was  chosen  in  May  to  succeed  Dr.  Leyds  as 
State  Secretary,  he  having  resigned  to  go  to  Europe  as  diplomatic 
representative  of  the  South  African  Republic  to  Berlin,  The  Hague, 
Paris,  Lisbon,  Rome  and  St.  Petersburg. 

When  Great  Britain  withdrew  from  the  Transvaal,  after  her 
unexpected  defeat  at  Majuba  Hill,  she  restored  full  self-government 
to  the  people,  subject  to  the  suzerainty  of  the  Queen,  as  set  forth 
in  the  preamble  to  the  conveution  of  1881.  Since  this  question 
of  England's  suzerainty  is  the  vital  one  that  eventually  brought 
about  a  rupture  between  the  two  countries,  the  facts  relating 
thereto   should   lie   kept   in   mind. 

The  term  was  selected  to  describe  the  superiority  of  a  state 
having  independent  rights  of  government,  subject  to  certain 
specified  reservations.  The  most  important  of  Great  Britain's 
reserved  rights  in  the  Transvaal  was  the  control  of  its  external 
relations,  including  the  making  of  treaties  and  the  conduct  of 
diplomatic  intercourse  with  foreign  powers.  A  deputation  was  sent 
to  London  in  1883,  to  secure  the  abolition  of  this  suzerainty  and 
the  stipulations  relating  to  it.  This  deputation  brought  about  the 
Convention  of  1884,  in  which  the  word  '' suzeraintv  "  does  not  occur. 


SOUTH  AFKIi.A.N  TEiUilTOKlES  845 

The  reserved  rights  of  England  were  abandoned,  except  that  all 
treaties  with  foreign  powers,  save  the  Orange  Free  State,  or  with 
native  tribes  outside  the  borders,  could  be  vetoed  by  the  English 
Government  at  any  time  within  six  months  of  their  conclusion.  It 
was  Lord  Derby  who  struck  out  every  reference  to  suzerain  rights 
from  the  draft  of  the  London  convention.  As  has  been  shown  in 
another  place,  the  preamble  of  1884  explicitly  acknowledges  a  new 
state,  the  South  African  Republic,  in  place  of  the  Transvaal  country, 
subject  to  the  suzerainty  of  the  Queen. 

The  first  assertion  of  British  suzerainty  was  made  by  Mr. 
Chamberlain  in  his  despatch,  already  referred  to,  dated  October  16, 
1897.  His  contention  was  that  the  alien  law,  as  enacted  at  first  by 
the  ^'olksraad  in  1896,  was  a  violation  of  the  London  convention. 
The  Transvaal  Cxovernment  denies  this  and  refused  to  revoke  the 
law  or  to  suspend  its  operation,  insisting  that  every  state  had  the 
right  to  restrain  foreign  elements  which  are  inimical  to  the  peace 
and  safety  of  the  inhabitants.  It  declined  the  invitation  to  discuss 
the  question  wdth  the  British  agent  for  the  manifest  reason  that 
no  discussion  could  change  their  views  on  the  matter.  To  them- 
selves their  position  was  clearly  right,  and  the  utmost  they  would 
agree  to  do  was  to  submit  the  dispute  to  arbitration.  And  yet,  on 
the  back  of  this,  the  law  was  revoked  with  the  intention  of 
introducing  new  legislation. 

In  his  answer  of  October  16,  Mr.  Chamberlain  again  urget'  the 
claim  of  his  government  to  be  consulted  befoie  legislation  was 
introduced  restricting  the  entrance  into  the  Transvaal  of  aliens  other 
than  natives,  and  he  dismissed  the  rights  that  had  been  invoked 
from  the  general  principles  of  international  law  as  not  applical)le 
to  the  case,  which  was  "not  that  of  a  treaty   between  two  states 


340  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

on  an  equiil  footing,  but  a  declaration,  by  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland,  of  the  conditions  upon  which  she  accorded  complete 
self-government  to  the  South  African  Republic,  subject  to  her  suze- 
rainty." Mr.  Chamberlain  insisted  that  the  preamble  of  the  Con- 
vention of  1881  (in  which  occurred  the  statement  of  suzerainty) 
was  not  replaced  by  the  preamble  of  the  Convention  of  1884,  but 
was  still  in  force,  though  the  articles  of  the  latter  were  substituted 
for  those  of  the  former.  In  other  words,  the  Queen,  under  the  two 
conventions,  held  the  relation  of  suzerain  toward  the  South  African 
Republic,  and  conceded  to  its  people  the  right  of  self-government 
upon  certain  conditions,  which,  from  the  necessity  of  the  case,  could 
not  be  submitted  to  arbitration.  Dr.  Leyds,  in  reply,  went  over  the 
negotiations,  with  Lord  Derby's  elisions  and  explanations,  holding 
that  not  only  by  the  terms  was  the  right  of  British  suzerainty  abol- 
ished, but  that  such  was  the  manifest  intention  of  Lord  Derby.  Leyds 
declared  that  through  the  omission  of  those  articles  from  the  Pretoria 
Convention,  which  assigned  certain  defined  powders  and  functions 
relating  to  the  internal  government  and  foreign  relations  to  the 
Transvaal,  the  South  African  'Republic  was  left  free  to  manage  its 
affairs  without  interference  from  any  other  government,  and  it  was 
equally  at  liberty  to  conduct  its  diplomatic  intercourse  and  manage 
its  foreign  policy,  subject  to  the  single  condition  that  its  treaties  with 
foreign  powers  should  be  subject  to  the  approval  or  disapproval  of 
Great  Britain.  This  was  the  first  time  that  such  a  construction  had 
been  challenged  by  any  one. 

Dr.  Leyds  maintained  insistently  that  the  two  preambles 
were  in  direct  opposition  to  each  other,  and  consequently  they  could 
not  be  in  force  at  the  same  time.  He  said  Lord  Derby  expressly 
declared  in  his  draft  of  the  new   convention  that  it  was  intended 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  TERRITORIES  347 

to  take  the  place  of  the  Pretoria  Convention.  The  doctor  proposed  to 
submit  the  question  to  arbitration,  and  maintained  his  position  ^^ith 
remarkable  skill.  The  independence  of  the  South  African  Republic, 
he  held,  owed  its  formal  acknowledgement  to  an  international 
agreement  equally  binding  on  both  powers,  but  its  real  independ- 
ence was  due  to  nothing  of  that  nature.  The  international  character 
of  the  convention  had  been  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain  when 
she  agreed  to  refer  the  first  article  to  a  friendly  power,  and  it  was 
illogical  and  unjust  to  contend  that  the  interpretations  of  agree- 
ments between  powers  not  on  the  same  footing  cannot  be  refeiTed 
in  case  of  disagreement  to  international  law  in  the  same  manner 
as  treaties  between  powers  of  the  same  standing,  since  there  is  no 
other  law  to  which  it  is  possible  to  refer  them.  Mr.  Chamberlain's 
contention  would  make  his  government  the  sole  judge  of  a  docu- 
ment to  which  it  was  a  party. 

Dr.  Leyds,  when  State  Secretary,  in  a  dispatch  dated  May  7, 
1897,  proposed  the  abrogation  of  the  London  Convention,  because 
England  had  violated  it  by  the  armed  invasion  of  Dr.  Jameson. 
Mr.  Chamberlain  replied  that  tlie  act  was  by  private  individuals, 
for  which  his  government  was  in  no  wise  responsible.  Dr.  Leyds 
reminded  him  that  the  raiders  were  Englishmen  under  the  Brit- 
ish flag,  enlisted,  armed  and  equipped  in  British  territory  under 
orders  of  the  Administrator,  who  derived  his  authority  from  the 
British  Crown;  that  its  leaders  were  officers  holding  commissions  in 
the  British  service,  and  they  had  the  counsel  and  aid  of  Cecil 
Rhodes  the  Prime  Minister  of  Cape  Colony,  while  behind  him  was 
Sir  Graham  Bower,  Secretary  to  the  High  Commissioner  of  South 
Africa. 

So  Leyds  and  Chamberlain  exchanged  notes  for  several  months, 


84b  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

each  holding  to  his  own  views.  Good  feeling  gradually  vanished  in 
the  bitterness  of  the  contention. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  regretted  that  an  extradition  treaty,  nego- 
tiated with  Portugal  in  1893,  was  not  submitted  to  the  British 
Covernment  as  was  required  by  the  fourth  article  of  the  London 
C'Onvention,  which  required  treaties,  upon  their  conclusion,  to  be 
submitted  to  the  Queen,  but  through  fear  of  offending  the  British 
Government,  Portugal  declined  to  ratify  the  treaty.  Dr.  Leyds 
justified  the  attempted  evasion  of  the  convention  from  this  fact, 
and  argued  that  a  treaty  is  not  completed  until  it  is  ratified. 

In  March,  1898,  the  Volksraad  passed  a  resolution  authorizing 
the  government  to  sun'ender  any  fugitive  demanded  by  a  state,  with 
which  there  was  no  regular  extradition  treaty,  the  government  to 
decide  whether  such  extradition  was  in  the  interest  of  justice.  This 
act  and  a  reciprocal  one  on  the  part  of  the  Portuguese  Government 
removed  the  necessity  for  a  treaty  of  extradition,  but  the  proceed- 
ings being  formally  correct,  no  objections  were  raised  by  the  Brit- 
ish Government.  The  Transvaal,  however,  refused  to  form  such  a 
treaty  with  Rhodesia. 

In  June  of  this  year,  the  thirteen  subordinate  officers  who  took 
part  in  the  Jameson  raid  and  who  were  allowed  to  resign  their 
commissions  after  their  trial  and  conviction,  were  restored  to  their 
former  rank  by  the  British  military  authorities.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  these  officers  were  made  to  believe  that  the  enterprise 
on  which  they  entered  had  the  secret  sanction  of  some  one  high 
in  authority,  and,  if  successful,  they  would  have  been  rewarded.  This 
does  not  signify  that  the  British  government  had  direct  cognizance 
of  the  raid,  though  the  messages  of  Mr.  Chamberlain  warning  the 
raidei-s  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  news  had  got  to  London. 


^Utill  AJ:iUUAx\    iiliiiiUlUiULb  :i[<) 

A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  on  the  east  of  the  Transvaal, 
a  native  temtory  of  which  we  have  hitherto  had  little  to  say. 
This  is  Swaziland,  inhabited  by  the  Swazis,  who  are  an  offshoot  of 
the  Zulu  nation,  and  whose  country  was  recognized  as  independent 
at  the  London  Convention  of  1884.  The  growth  of  its  white  popu- 
lation led  to  the  vesting  of  their  government  in  1S90  in  a  govern- 
ment committee,  and  some  four  years  later  Swaziland  was  placed 
under  the  protection  and  administration  of  the  Transvaal. 

Swaziland  is  about  the  size  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  and 
has  a  population  of  some  50,000  Kaffirs  and  1,000  whites,  mostly 
Boer  graziers  with  a  few  British  traders  and  miners.  The  natives 
are  under  the  rule  of  their  chief  Bunu,  known  also  as  Ngwane, 
born  in  1877,  who  commands  an  army  of  18,000  warriors.  The 
Transvaal  authorities  were  not  allowed  to  collect  a  native  hut  tax 
until  1898,  and  during  the  intervening  years,  the  annual  revenue 
was  no  more  than  £3,000,  which  left  a  yearly  deficit  of  £47,000, 
which  was  paid  out  of  the  Transvaal  treasury.  When  the  time 
limit  had  expired,  the  Republic  made  its  aiTangements  for  collect- 
ing the  deficit,  but  Bunu,  the  king,  took  a  somewhat  civilized 
method  of  avoiding  the  payment  of  the  tax  by  flitting  into  the 
mountains.  After  reflection,  however,  he  sent  word  that  he  would 
collect  the  tax,  if  it  were  insisted  upon,  and  hand  it  over  to  the 
government.  Needless  to  say,  payment  was  insisted  upon,  but  the 
ruler  was  so  slow  in  coming  to  time,  that  a  burgher  force  marched 
into  his  country  in  May  to  bring  tlie  king  to  terms,  he  having 
killed  his  principal  under  chief  or  adviser.  Bunu  was  ordered  to 
attend  a  judicial  inquiry  on  July  5,  but  this  time  he  fled  over  the 
Natal  border.  He  was  delivered  up  for  trial  and  the  collection  of 
the  hut  tax  was  begun  on  the  1st  of  August. 


850  THE  STOKY   OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Tho  total  area  of  the  teri'itories  which  in  1891  came  under  the 
administration  of  the  British  South  Africa  Company,  including 
North  Rhodesia,  is  about  600,000  square  miles.  South  Rhodesia, 
containing  350,000  square  miles,  lies  to  the  south  of  the  Zambesi.  In 
1890,  the  pioneers  of  the  company  settled  in  Mashonaland,  at  that 
time  a  province  of  Matabeleland  by  permission  of  the  noted  Mata- 
bele  chief  Lobengula.  They  had  built  400  miles  of  road  through 
Bechuanaland  in  order  to  reach  the  country  where  it  was  reported 
gold  was  to  be  found.  Two  years  later,  the  colonists  ousted  the 
Matabeles  and  the  company  took  possession  of  the  country.  Its 
area  is  60,000  square  miles,  with  a  population  of  240,000:  the  area 
of  Mashonaland  is  80,000  square  miles  and  its  population,  210,000. 
At  the  time  of  the  Matabela  uprising  in  1896,  there  were  not  quite 
6,000  white  persons  in  the  country. 

Considerable  development  of  the  country  has  taken  place  and 
several  thousand  more  white  persons  have  settled  wathin  its  borders. 
In  addition  to  Salisbury,  the  capital  of  Rhodesia,  the  principal 
towns  are  Bui u way o,  formerly  the  Matabele  capital,  Umtali,  Victoria, 
Gwelo,  Enkeldoorn,  and  Melsetter.  All  these  places  have  tele- 
graphic connection  with  Maf eking  and  Cape  Colony,  and  the  line 
has  l)een  extended  northward  into  Nyassaland.  The  telegraph  and 
railway  have  been  steadily  pushed  in  different  directions. 

The  original  capital  of  the  British  South  Africa  Company  was 
£1,000,000,  increased  in  1895  to  £2,500,000,  and  in  the  latter  part 
of  1896  to  £3,500,000.  It  has  in  addition  a  five  per  cent,  debenture 
debt  of  £1,250,000.  The  shareholders  at  a  meeting  held  in  April, 
1898,  decided  to  increase  the  capital  to  £5,000,000,  issuing  for  the 
time  only  250,000  shares,  and  reserving  the  remainder  to  be  issued 
from  time  to  time  as  additional  capital  might  be  needed.     Despite 


SOUTH  AFRICAN  TERRITORIES  351 

the  expenses  caused  by  wars  and  the  rinderpest,  the  profits  of  the 
companj'  have  been  enormous,  and  when  the  books  were  opened 
for  subscription,  the  public  subscribed  £1,250,000  instead  of  the 
£500,000  offered. 

Cecil  J.  Rhodes,  Alfred  Beit  and  Rochefort  Maguire  retired 
from  the  direction  in  1897,  on  account  of  the  part  they  took  in 
the  Jameson  raid,  but  were  reelected  in  the  following  year. 

After  the  Jameson  raid,  the  British  Government  transferred 
the  control  of  the  military  forces  to  the  High  Commissioner  and 
took  from  the  company  the  greater  part  of  its  political  and 
administrative  privileges,  such  action  being  at  the  suggestion  of 
the  directors  made  several  years  previous,  w4th  a  view  of  giving 
the  inhabitants  a  share  in  the  administration  and  its  responsibilities. 

The  Secretary  of  State  announced  in  January,  1898,  the  plan 
adopted  for  the  colonies.  All  legislation  was  to  be  passed  locally 
by  the  Legislative  Council  of  South  Rhodesia,  comprising  two 
elective  members  for  Mashonaland,  two  for  Matabeleland,  and  five 
members  nominated  by  the  company,  to  which  was  thus  secured  a 
majority,  so  long  as  it  continued  responsible  for  the  finances. 

Cecil  Rhodes,  accompanied  by  J.  W.  Colenbrander,  Dr.  Hans 
Saner,  Mr.  Stent  and  John  Grootbloom,  visited  the  rebellious  Mata- 
beles  and  secured  their  final  submission.  They  gave  up  an  immense 
number  of  arms  and  down  to  the  present  time  have  caused  the 
authorities  no  trouble. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  Transvaal,  it  will  be  remembered,  much  uneasiness  was  felt  by 
the  former,  over  the  attitude  of  the  surrounding  natives;  for  if  a 
general  uprising  took  place,  the  loss  of  life  was  sure  to  be  appall- 
ing.    No  Africans  were  held  iu   greater  dread   than   the   Zulus,  for 


;i:Vi  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

they  had  given  England  a  taste  of  their  ferocity  and  infernal  power 
for  mischief.  It  was  they  who  killed  the  Prince  Imperial  of  France 
while  fighting  with  the  English. 

The  Zulu  is  probably  the  best  native  fighter  in  South  Africa. 
He  is  fierce,  active,  powerful,  and  daring  to  the  last  degree,  and 
his  people  made  a  desperate  fight  before  they  yielded  to  the  over- 
powering force  of  England.  The  main  secret  of  their  strength  lies 
in  their  organization.  It  was  this  which  enabled  them  a  half  century 
ago  to  conquer  the  surrounding  tribes  and  sweep  everything  before 
them. 

Zululand  is  a  wild  country,  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
Transvaal,  on  the  south  and  west  by  Natal,  and  on  the  east  by  the 
sea.  It  is  larger  than  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  and  contains  about 
180,000  natives,  and  less  than  1,500  whites.  The  only  occupation 
of  the  natives  is  the  raising  of  cattle. 

There  was  fear,  also,  regarding  the  Basutos,  who,  though  not 
the  peers  of  the  Zulus,  have  a  strong  position,  with  Cape  Colony, 
the  Orange  Free  State  and  Natal  on  its  borders.  They  are  thrifty 
and  well  off,  there  being  probably  50,000  out  of  a  total  of  220,000, 
who  profess  Christianity.  The  country  is  a  fine  grain  producer, 
and  there  are  wild  and  precipitous  mountains  to  which  the  natives 
can  flee  and  find  secure  refuge  in  case  of  danger. 


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CHAPTER  XVIII 


THE  DARKENING  8KIE8 


For  months  before  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  Transvaal  Republic,  intelligent  men  in  both  countries 
saw  that  the  conflict  was  as  certain  to  come  as  the  sun  was  to  rise  in 
the  heavens.  The  Uitlanders  were  not  to  be  satisfied  with  Boer 
promises,  but  immediate  Boer  performance  was  demanded.  The 
Uitlanders,  men  composed  of  all  nationalities,  insisted  that  their 
rights  were  being  invaded  by  the  Boers,  and  that  it  was  impossible 
for  them  or  their  interests  to  be  represented  in  the  authority  or 
government  of  the  Transvaal. 

Early  in  April,  1899,  a  petition  signed  by  21,000  British  subjects, 
resident  at  and  near  Johannesburg,  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Conyngham  Greene,  British  agent  at  Pretoria,  and  sent  home  by  Sir 
Alfred  Milner,  governor  of  the  Cape  Colony  and  British  High  Commis- 
sioner. Every  one  knows  how  readily  signatures  can  be  obtained  to 
any  paper  in  the  nature  of  a  petition,  but  Sir  Alfred  Milner  certified  to 
the  substantial  genuineness  of  the  names  as  well  as  of  the  grievances 
of  which  complaint  was  made. 

The  petition  cites  the  constant  breaking  of  President  Kruger's 
promises  with  regard  to  reform;  the  absolute  lack  of  protection 
against  mob  violence;  the  law  permitting  expulsion  of  British 
subjects  at  the  will  of  the  president  without  appeal  to  the  high  court; 
the  concentration  of  the  powers  of  government  in  the  hands  of  the 
burghers,  1,000  in  number,  while  the  Uitlanders  are  23,000.  In  short, 
the  condition  of  the  Uitlanders  is  declared  to  be  intolerable,  and  they 

1S>  (456) 


856  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

implore    the    Queen    to     secure   for   them   the  ordinary   rights  of 

citizens. 

Al)out  the  same  time,  President  Kruger,  in  an  elaborate  speech  at 
Johannesburg,   used    the  following  words    regarding  the    franchise 

dispute: 

"  I  would  not  be  worthy  to  be  the  head  of  the  State  if  I  did  not 
protect  the  old  burghers.  Nor  would  I  be  worthy  to  be  the  head  of 
the  State  if  I  did  not  bear  in  mind  the  interests  of  the  new  population 
with  the  object  of  helping  them.  I  make  no  distinction  between 
nationalities;  I  only  make  a  distinction  between  good  and  bad  people 
— between  those  who  are  loyal  and  those  who  are  not.  You  all  know 
that  when  first  we  discovered  these  gold  fields,  and  they  began  to  be 
worked,  the  franchise  was  given  to  any  one  who  lived  here  a  year. 
But  when  from  all  countries  and  all  nations  men  began  to  stream  in, 
it  became  our  duty  to  prevent  the  old  burghers  from  being  over- 
whelmed. I  would  not  have  been  worthy  of  my  position  if  I  had 
allowed  the  new-comers  to  immediately  sweep  away  and  overwhelm 
the  old  inhabitants  of  the  country." 

It  has  been  alleged  that  there  was  not  perfect  unanimity  among 
the  foreign  residents  of  the  Transvaal  in  the  opposition  to  the  Boer 
government,  shown  by  the  above  petition.  A  counter  petition  was 
drawn  up  and  largely  signed,  which  challenged  the  petition  of  the 
21,000,  and  expressed  the  satisfaction  of  the  signers  with  the  Boer 
government,  and  confidence  in  the  final  removal  of  all  real  griev- 
ances, where  they  existed,  "by  mutual  cooperation  and  without 
mediation  of  any  foreign  government  or  advice  from  capitalists." 

When  questioned  in  Parliament,  Mr.  Chamberlain  admitted  that  he 
had  received  the  former  petition,  and  that  the  petitioners  complained 
"among  other  things,  of  exclusion  from  the  franchise."    He  knew  of  no 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  357 

precedent  for  such  a  petition  nor  of  any  precedent  "for  the  state  of  cir- 
cumstances which  led  to  its  presentation."    The  London  Times  remarks: 

"  The  situation  caused  by  the  inveterate  resistance  of  the  Boers  to 
the  most  moderate  and  reasonable  constitutional  reform,  is  without 
precedent.  If  a  solution  for  it  cannot  be  found  in  accordance  with 
precedent,  a  precedent  to  fit  it  must  be  created.  A  first  step  has 
been  taken  by  receiving  the  petition.  Apparently  it  has  shocked  the 
respect  for  established  institutions  entertained  by  such  enemies  to 
change  as  Mr.  Bryn  Roberts,  the  Welsh  Radical,  and  the  love  of 
legality  for  its  own  sake,  so  often  exemplified  in  the  career  of  Mr. 
Dillon,  the  Irish  Nationalist.  The  community  at  large,  we  do  not 
hesitate  to  say,  will  not  share  these  scruples.  It  will  heartily  endorse 
the  view  of  the  Colonial  Secretary  when  he  declared  that  doubt  is 
impossible  as  to  the  propriety  of  receiving  the  petition,  *  having  regard 
to  the  position  which  this  country  occupies  in  relation  to  the  South 
African  Republic' " 

The  Times  declared  further  that  the  failure  to  enforce  franchise 
rights  for  British  subjects  in  the  Transvaal  was  an  admission  that  the 
British  government  was  too  cowardly  to  enforce  the  rights  of  English- 
men in  an  insignificant  republic,  "which  ow^es  to  our  magnanimity,  or 
to  our  w^eakness  in  the  past,  its  relative  independence."  It  was  high 
time  to  end  the  scandal.  "Our  hands  are  free  in  foreign  politics,  and 
the  public  opinion  of  the  world  condemns  the  stubborn  obscurations 
of  the  Boer  State." 

At  that  time,  it  required  fourteen  years  for  the  Uitlander  to 
acquire  full  privileges  as  an  enfranchised  citizen.  President  Kruger, 
in  the  face  of  strong  opposition  on  the  part  of  many  of  his  friends, 
proposed  to  reduce  this  term  to  five  years,  \vith  the  pledge  to  reduce 
this  term  in  the  course  of  another  ten  years  still  further.    He  dwelt 


\\:S  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

witli  much  force  upon  the  destructive  difference  between  the  admis- 
sion of  foreigners  as  citizens  in  large  countries  like  the  United  States 
siiid  tlieir  admission  in  the  Transvaal  where  they  would  immediately 
become  the  majority  and  hence  the  ruling  power  of  the  nation. 

Meanwhile,  France  expressed  its  dissatisfaction,  through  its 
leading  newspapers  of  the  money  interests  of  the  European  conti- 
nent, over  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  Boer  Republic  and  demanded  of 
the  British  Government  that  it  secure  justice  for  French  investors 
in  the  Transvaal,  "or  give  up  the  claim  of  suzerainty  and  allow 
foreign  governments  to  protect  their  own  subjects  in  their  rights." 
In  May,  the  French  shareholders  in  the  Rand  gold  mines  undertook 
the  preparation  of  a  memorial  to  the  British  Government  demand- 
ing "protection  for  foreign  capital  in  the  Transvaal."  On  the  18th 
of  the  same  month,  President  Kruger's  proposals  for  reform  were 
presented  to  the  Raad. 

These  proposals  would  seem  to  be  a  substantial  step  in  the 
right  direction,  but  Sir  Alfred  Milner,  after  careful  examination, 
pronounced  them  worthless,  as  a  means  of  securing  the  end  sought, 
and,  meek  as  they  were,  there  was  no  guarantee  that  they  would  not 
be  swept  out  of  existence  by  the  First  Raad  whenever  the  whim 
seized  them,  or  whenever  that  body  deemed  that  a  political  point 
could  be  secured  by  such  action. 

In  Sir  Alfred's  dispatch  from  Cape  Town,  telegraphed  to  Mr. 
Chamberlain,  he  said  that  British  subjects  resented. — 

"The  personal  indignity  involved  in  the  position  of  permanent 
subjection  to  the  ruling  caste,  which  owes  its  wealth  and  power  to 
their  exertion.  The  political  turmoil  in  the  South  African  Republic 
will  never  end  till  the  permanent  Uitlander  population  is  admitted 
to  a  share  in  the  government,  and  while  that  turmoil  lasts  there 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  359 

will  be  no  tranquillity  or  adequate  progress  in  Her  Majesty's  South. 
African  domains.  .  .  .  The  only  condition  on  which  the  South 
African  Colonies  and  the  two  Republics  can  live  in  harmony  and  the 
country  progress,  is  equality  all  round.  South  Africa  can  prosper 
under  two,  three,  or  six  governments,  but  never  under  two  absolutely 
conflicting  social  and  political  systems,  perfect  equality  for  Dutch 
and  British  in  the  British  Colonies  side  by  side  with  permanent 
subjection  of  British  and  Dutch  in  one  of  the  Republics.  It  is  idle 
to  talk  of  peace  and  unity  under  such  a  state  of  affairs." 

Since  this  dispatch  was  generally  accepted  as  an  embodiment  of 
the  national  policy,  and  received  general  support,  it  is  important  that 
all  its  points  should  be  understood.  Sir  Alfred  Milner  declared  that 
the  grievances  alleged  in  the  petition  to  the  Queen  were  substan- 
tiated, that  nothing  had  been  done  to  alleviate  them,  and  the  last 
state  of  the  Uitlanders  was  worse  than  the  first.  It  was  the  right 
and  the  interest  of  Great  Britain  to  secure  fair  treatment  of  the 
Uitlanders,  of  whom  the  majority  were  British  subjects,  and  the 
practice  of  remonstrating  about  every  injury  to  individual  English- 
men had  become  impossible.  "  It  may  easily  lead  to  war,"  said 
Sir  Alfred,  "but  it  will  never  lead  to  real  improvement. 

"The  true  remedy  is  to  strike  at  the  root  of  all  these  injuries, 
the  political  impotence  of  the  injured.  What  diplomatic  protests 
will  never  accomplish,  a  fair  measure  of  Uitlander  representation 
would  gradually  but  surely  bring  al)out.  It  seems  a  paradox,  but 
it  is  true,  that  the  only  effective  way  of  protecting  our  subjects  is 
to  help  them  to  cease  to  be  our  subjects.  The  admission  of 
Uitlanders  to  a  fair  sliare  of  political  power  would,  no  doubt,  give 
stability  to  the  Republic;  but,  it  at  the  same  time,  will  remove  most 
of  our  causes  of  difference  with  it,  and  modify,  and  in  the  long  run, 


%0  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

entirely  remove  that  intense  suspicion  and  bitter  hostility  to  Great 
Hritain,  whicli  at  present  dominates  its  internal  and  external  policy. 

"I  see  nothing,"  concludes  the  dispatch,  "which  will  put  an 
end  to  this  mischievous  propaganda,  but  some  striking  proof  of  the 
intention  of  ller  Majesty's  Government  not  to  be  ousted  from  its 
position  in  South  Africa.  And  the  best  proof,  alike  of  its  power 
and  its  justice,  would  be  to  obtain  for  the  Uitlanders  in  the  Trans- 
vaal a  fair  share  in  the  government  of  the  country,  which  owes 
everything  to  their  exertions.  It  would  be  made  perfectly  clear 
that  our  action  was  not  directed  against  the  existence  of  the 
Republic." 

The  position  of  the  immense  majority  of  the  Uitlander  popula- 
tion may  be  summed  up  thus: 

They  cannot  acquire  the  franchise  for  the  First  Raad,  which  is 
the  only  franchise  worth  having,  except  by  previously  becoming 
eligible  to  the  Second  Raad  or  by  military  service.  The  conditions 
of  eligibility  to  the  Second  Raad  are  four  years'  residence,  the 
attainment  of  the  age  of  thirty,  and  the  taking  of  the  oath  of 
allegiance.  But  this  is  not  all.  The  Uitlander  who  has  fulfilled 
all  these  conditions  has  to  pass  through  a  period  of  ten  years' 
probation  after  he  has  become  eligible  to  the  Second  Raad  before 
he  can  be  given  a  vote  for  the  First  Raad.  Even  then,  after 
fourteen  years'  residence  and  at  the  age  of  forty,  he  is  apparently 
not  entitled  to  this  vote  as  of  right.  It  may  be  granted  him  "  upon 
a  resolution  taken  by  the  First  Volksraad  and  in  terms  of  rules  to 
be  hereinafter  fixed  by  law."  Although  the  principal  law  was 
passed  in  1890,  the  "rules  to  be  hereafter  fixed  by  law"  under 
that  act  have  not  yet  been  promulgated.  Franchise  by  military 
service  is  equally   difficult   of   attainment.     The   service   must   be 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  361 

service  rendered  in  response  to  a  summons  in  terms  of  the  existing; 
laws,  so  that  the  authorities  can  exclude  Uitlanders  from  enfran- 
chisement under  this  provision  by  omitting  to  summon  them.  If 
the  summons  is  sent  and  the  service  performed,  the  Uitlander  who 
has  performed  it  may  still  be  as  far  from  the  full  franchise  as 
ever.  Whether  the  Uitlander  claims  the  vote  for  the  First  Raad 
in  virtue  of  ten  years'  eligibility  to  the  Second  Raad  or  for  military 
service,  he  cannot  get  it  without  the  written  petition  of  two-thirds 
of  the  enfranchised  burghers  of  his  ward.  This  condition  is,  of 
course,  prohibitive,  as  doubtless  it  was  intended  to  be.  Two-thirds 
of  the  burghers  never  vote  on  any  occasion,  not  even  in  the  most 
hotly-contested  presidential  elections. 

The  strongest  point  made  by  the  British  policy  was  that  it 
rested  upon  no  argumentative  claims  to  suzerainty,  but  on  one  of 
the  priceless  rights  of  England  to  protect  the  interests  of  its  own 
subjects  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  and  to  obtain  the  peace  and 
prosperity  of  South  Africa.  Replying,  therefore,  to  Sir  Alfred's 
dispatch,  Mr.  Chamberlain  recounted  the  Uitlander  grievances  and 
pronounced  them  intolerable.  The  right  of  his  country  to  redress 
them  rested  upon  three  grounds:  The  convention  of  1884  was 
designed  to  secure  equality  of  treatment  in  the  South  African 
Republic  for  Uitlander  and  Boer;  Great  Britain  was  the  paramount 
power  there;  and  it  was  a  national  duty  to  protect  British  subjects 
living  in  a  foreign  country. 

"  The  British  Government,"  wrote  Mr.  Chamberlain,  "still  cherish 
the  hope  that  the  publicity  given  to  the  British  representations  of 
the  Uitlander  population,  and  the  fact,  of  which  the  Government 
of  the  South  African  Republic  must  be  aware,  that  they  are  losing 
the  sympathy  of  those  other  States  which,  like   Great   Britain,  are 


:\[\-2  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

deeply  interested  in  the  prosperity  of  the  Transvaal,  may  induce 
tliem  to  reconsider  their  policy,  and  by  redressing  the  most  serious 
of  the  grievances  now  complained  of,  to  remove  a  standing  danger 
to  the  peace  and  prosperity,  not  only  of  the  Republic  itself,  but 
also  of  South  Africa  generally." 

These  words  indicated  increasing  friction  between  the  two 
countries,  and  caused  an  uneasiness  beyond  the  borders  of  each. 
No  nation  can  contemplate  the  approach  of  war  without  a  shudder, 
for  it  is  the  most  appalling  calamity  to  mankind  conceivable. 
Europe  is  continually  disturbed  by  the  rumors  of  war  which  fill 
the  air,  and  the  fact  that  in  the  majority  of  instances  the  threaten- 
ing clouds  have  dissolved  without  emitting  the  lightning  bolts,  is 
proof  of  the  dread  that  all  feel  of  the  arbitrament  of  arms — the 
court  of  the  last  resort. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  proposed  that  President  Kruger  and  Sir  Alfred 
Milner  should  meet  and  discuss  in  a  conciliatory  spirit  the  best 
method  of  curing  the  Uitlander  grievances,  and  bringing  about 
good  relations  between  England  and  the  Transvaal.  This  sugges- 
tion, however,  had  been  forestalled  by  those  gentlemen,  who  held 
a  conference  at  Bloemfontein,  May  30,  1899,  on  the  invitation  of 
the  President  of  the  Orange  Free  State,  whose  interests  are  so 
closely  interwoven  with  those  of  the  Transvaal  that  he  was  pain- 
fully desirous  that  a  peaceful  solution  of  the  troubles  should  be 
reached.  At  this  meeting.  Sir  Alfred  declared  with  earnest  emphasis 
that  the  last  wish  of  himself  and  his  friends  was  to  impair  the 
independence  of  the  Republic.  The  enfranchisement  of  the  Uit- 
landers  would  strengthen  such  independence  and  almost,  or  wholly, 
remove  the  need  of  British  interference.  Instead  of  crushing  the  . 
old   burghers,  his  desire  was  to  give  to  the  new  ones  a  moderate 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  3m 

representation,  that  the  way  might  be  opened  to  seek   a   constitu- 
tional redress  for  their  own  grievances. 

President  Kruger  said  that  he  had  come  to  the  convention  in 
the  trust  that  his  Excellency  was  a  man  capable  of  conviction, 
and  would  enter  into  all  the  points  of  difference.  He  claimed  full 
independence  as  to  the  internal  affairs  of  the  State,  but  if  his 
Excellency,  in  a  friendly  way,  would  give  him  hints  on  internal 
matters,  he  would  listen  and  do  all  he  could  to  remove  the  points 
of  difference.     Concerning  the  franchise,  the  President  said: 

"I  am  not  surprised  that  in  other  places  the  men  would  only 
have  to  wait  a  year  to  get  it,  because  there  are  millions  of  old 
burghers,  and  the  few  that  come  in  cannot  outvote  the  old  burghers; 
but  with  us,  those  who  rushed  into  the  gold  fields  are  in  large 
numbers  and  of  all  kinds,  and  the  number  of  burghers  is  still 
insignificant;  therefore,  we  are  compelled  to  make  tlie  franchise  so 
that  they  cannot  rush  into  it  all  at  once,  and  so  soon  as  we  can 
assure  ourselves,  by  a  gradual  increase  of  our  burghers,  that  we  can 
safely  do  it,  our  plan  is  to  reduce  the  time  for  any  one  there  to 
take  up  the  franchise,  and  that  is  my  plan." 

In  a  dispatch  from  the  Government  at  Pretoria  to  Dr.  Leyds, 
diplomatic  representative  in  Europe,  of  the  South  African  Republic, 
it  was  stated  that,  on  the  British  side,  stress  was  laid  on  the  fran- 
chise and  dynamite  questions — the  close  monopoly  of  dynamite  in 
the  Transvaal,  with  vast  and  unreasonable  profits  to  the  monopolists. 

In  addition  to  the  arguments  already  named  concerning  the 
franchise  dispute,  there  were  those  on  the  incorporation  of  Swazi- 
land with  the  Transvaal  territory,  payment  of  an  indemnity  for 
the  losses  and  expenses  of  the  Boers  because  of  Jameson's  raid, 
and    adoption    of    the    principle    of    arbitration    in    all    differences 


364  TllK  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Ik  tween  tlio  two  countries.  Sir  Alfred,  however,  laid  no  special 
stress  on  the  dynamite  question,  nor  did  President  Kruger  on  the 
Swaziland  matter.  Sir  Alfred  was  sure  the  indemnity  question 
could  be  settled  by  arbitration. 

The  franchise  question  was  the  rock  upon  which  the  two  split. 
The  High  Commissioner  proposed: 

1.  That  it  should  be  obtainable  after  five  years'  residence  and 
should  be  retroactive. 

2.  That  the  naturalization  oath  should  be  modified. 

3.  That  an  equitable  representation  should  be  granted  to  the 
Uitlanders. 

4.  That  naturalization  should  include  the  immediate  right  of 
voting. 

President  Kruger's  proposal  was  to  make  a  residence  of  two 
years  a  prerequisite  for  naturalization;  and  a  further  residence  of 
five  years  a  prerequisite  for  admission  to  the  full  franchise;  persons 
established  in  the  country  previous  to  1890  to  have  the  franchise 
in  two  years;  the  mining  population  to  be  more  largely  represented; 
one  of  the  conditions  of  obtaining  naturalization  to  be  the  posses- 
sion of  at  least  S750  of  property,  or  occupation  of  a  house  worth  at 
least  $250  a  year,  or  an  income  of  at  least  $1,000  a  year.  Another 
important  condition  of  naturalization  was  that  the  person  should 
have  had  citizen  rights  in  his  own  country.  It  will  be  seen  that 
this  would  have  been  a  most  effectual  step  toward  securing  a  pure 
ballot;  but  all  of  President  Kruger's  proposals  were  conditional 
upon  the  British  government  accepting  the  principle  of  arbitration 
in  differences  between  the  two  countries. 

The  correspondent  of  the  N.  Y.  Tribune,  under  date  of  June 
10,  thus  referred  to  the  situation: 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  365 

"Mr.  Chamberlain  asserts  that  a  new  situation  has  been  created 
in  the  Transvaal  by  the  failure  of  the  conference,  and  the  English 
press  is  eager  to  take  his  word  for  it;  but  neither  he  nor  they  can 
explain  intelligibly  how  this  impasse  alters  the  conditions  and 
obligations  of  treaty  law.  The  truth  is  that  the  old  situation 
created  by  the  treaty  made  with  the  Transvaal  fifteen  years  ago 
remains  unaltered.  That  convention  was  clumsily  drawn,  but  Lord 
Derby  officially  interpreted  it  at  the  time  as  a  pledge  that  the 
British  government  would  not  impose  upon  the  Transvaal  any 
liability  to  intervention  in  internal  affairs.  England,  under  Glad- 
stone's initiative,  bound  herself  hand  and  foot,  in  a  transport  of 
magnanimity  and  self-denial;  and  her  pledges  now  remain  to  ham- 
per her  when  many  thousands  of  her  citizens  are  deprived  of  their 
just  rights.  The  old  situation  is  maintained  by  the  requirements  of 
national  honor  and  an  explicit  pledge  against  interference  in  the 
domestic  affairs  of  the  Dutch  Republic. 

"A  new  situation  will  arise  wiien  the  British  government 
decides  that  the  grievances  of  the  Uitlanders  exceed  the  moral 
obligations  imposed  by  the  treaty,  and  that  coercion  is  necessary 
to  bring  the  Boers  to  their  senses.  Probably  Mr.  Chamberlain 
would  like  to  take  this  stand  at  once;  but  Lord  Salisbury  is  prime 
minister,  and  prefers  to  make  haste  slowly." 

Sir  Alfred  admitted  that  the  proposals  were  a  distinct  advance 
on  the  existing  system,  but,  nevertheless,  it  was  utterly  inadequate 
to  a  settlement  of  the  question.  President  Kruger  pressed  his  plan 
of  arbitration  for  future  differences,  but  the  high  commissioner 
refused  to  complicate  the  great  question  of  the  franchise  with 
other  matters.     And  so  the  convention  came  to  nanght. 

The    Volksraad,    after    debating    for    a    long    time    in    secret, 


;{(;(;  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

;il)provtMl,  . I  linn  1),  thoir  president's  proposals,  and  instructed  the 
government  to  formulate  them  into  a  bill  to  be  laid  before  the 
legislature.  At  the  same  time  they  adopted  a  resolution  expressing 
its  regret  tliat  Sir  Alfred  Milner  had  rejected  the  proposals  of 
President  Kruger,  which  it  pronounced  "in  the  highest  degree 
reasonable." 

There  was  widespread  disappointment  over  the  failure  of  the 
conference  to  reach  an  agreement,  but  the  fact  that  each  side  had 
made  concessions  and  showed  an  apparently  honest  wish  to  solve 
the  vexatious  problem,  caused  a  general  hope  that  such  a  solution 
would  be  reached  sooner  or  later.  The  shrewder  and  more  far- 
seeing  ones,  however,  saw  that,  despite  the  mutual  concessions,  there 
existed  no  real  common  ground  upon  which  they  could  meet. 

It  was  a  game  of  diplomacy,  in  which  the  players  on  both 
sides  were  past-masters  of  the  art.  With  a  predominant  Dutch  popu- 
lation in  Cape  Colony  and  the  community  of  interests  and  friend- 
ship between  the  Orange  Free  State  and  the  Republic,  it  was 
necessary  for  Great  Britain  to  formulate  her  demands  so  as  to 
secure  the  support  of  a  majority   of  the   citizens   of   South   Africa. 

There  was  good  ground  offered  Great  Britain  upon  which  to 
make  her  demands.  The  system  of  government  prevailing  in  the 
Transvaal  is  narrow,  exclusive,  non-progressive,  and,  in  many 
instances,  corrupt.  Most  of  the  Dutch  in  Cape  Colony,  and  a  great 
many  of  those  in  the  Free  State,  have  long  been  opposed  to  this 
policy.  It  was  necessary,  above  all  things,  to  convince  these  people 
that  England  had  no  intention  of  pushing  any  scheme  of  annexation. 

The  great  calamity  to  be  feared  was  that  the  conflict  with  the 
Boer  president  should  become  one  for  racial  supremacy.  W.  P. 
Schreiner.  prime  minister  and  the  political  head  of  Cape  Colony,  is 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  367 

one  of  the  most  loyal  and  high  minded  officials  in  the  service  of 
Great  Britain.  He  and  the  ministry  of  the  Cape  had  thoughtfully 
considered  the  proposals  of  President  Kruger  and  believed  they  pre- 
sented a  basis  upon  which  the  irritating  franchise  quarrel  could 
be  settled.  They  respectfully  submitted  their  views  to  Sir  Alfred 
Milner,  but  the  statesman  shook  his  head. 

"The  differences  between  President  Kruger  and  me  are  irrec- 
oncilable. If  you  are  so  optimistic  in  your  views  it  is  you  who 
should  discuss  them  with  him."  On  the  heels  of  this  suggestion 
came  a  telegram  from  Mr.  Chamberlain  asking  the  Cape  ministry 
io  bring  all  the  influence  they  could  upon  the  South  African 
Republic,  so  to  modify  their  proposals  that  all  necessity  for  British 
interference  in  such  matters  would  be  removed.  The  enmity 
between  the  Johannesburg  Uitlanders  and  burghers  was  steadily 
deepening,  while  between  the  two,  the  Cape  ministry  and  Orange 
Free  State  gently  wedged  themselves  and  sought  with  inclosing 
arms  to  draw  the  factions  together. 

When  feeling  was  in  this  delicate  state  an  incident  occurred, 
unimportant  of  itself,  but  most  unfortunate  because  it  intensified 
the  general  distrust  and  suspicion.  A  number  of  alleged  ex-officers 
of  the  British  army  were  arrested  at  Johannesburg,  taken  to  Pre- 
toria and  remanded  for  trial.  Affidavits  were  submitted  to  the 
court,  charging  that  2,000  men  had  been  enrolled  for  military 
service,  that  they  were  to  be  furnished  with  arms  in  Natal,  and 
then  taken  l)ack  to  the  Raad,  where  at  the  proper  moment  they 
would  seize  and  hold  the  fort  of  Johannesburg  for  twenty-four 
hours,  or  until  the  arrival  of  British  troops. 

In  the  first  telegram  from  Pretoria,  making  known  the  arrest  of 
the  alleged  conspirators,  it  was  said  that  they  presented  the  appearance 


:i(;s  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

of  "ordiiiiuy  loafers,"  but  in  another  dispatch  the  prisoners  were 
described  as  a  colonel,  a  captain  and  several  lieutenants,  one  of  whom 
claimed  that  he  was  acting  under  instructions  from  the  British  war 
department. 

It  was  impossible  that  this  statement  should  be  true,  for, 
recalling  the  Jameson  raid,  it  was  a  height  of  folly  to  which  no 
government  could  attain.  By  some  it  was  asserted  that  the  whole 
thing  was  a  conspiracy  of  the  Boer  police,  and  the  men  arrested 
were  irresponsible  nobodies.  The  trial  failed  to  develop  any  con- 
nection between  the  British  government,  home  or  colonial,  and  the 
conspiracy,  if  any  such  existed,  but  the  affair  itself  added  to  the 
hostility  of  the  quaiTeling  factions,  and  to  that  extent  increased 
the  difficulty  of  clearing  the  briars  from  the  path  leading  to  peace. 

By  this  time  the  truth  was  clearer  than  ever  that  not  an  inch 
of  advance  could  be  made  toward  securing  the  franchise  for  the 
Uitlanders  until  the  burghers  were  convinced  that  their  independ- 
ence was  not  thereby  imperiled. 

Great  crises  not  only  produce  their  great  men,  but  their  great 
fools,  and,  unfortunately,  the  latter  crop  is  often  the  more  exuberant. 
Ou  June  11,  the  Transvaal  branch  of  the  South  African  League,  in 
an  address  to  the  high  commissioner,  impressed  upon  him  the  fact 
that  the  proposed  franchise  would  prove  of  very  little  help  to  the 
Uitlanders  unless  they  "at  once  obtained  a  preponderating  influence 
in  the  Raad!"  The  League  urged  further  that  the  sweeping 
reforms  demanded  must  be  affected  "  by  pressure  from  the  suzerian 
power,"  contemporaneously  with  the  grant  of  the  new  franchise, 
and  finally  that  the  Boer  fort  at  Johannesburg  should  be  demolished 
without  delay.    This  was  pouring  oil  upon  the  fire  with  a  vengeance. 

Still,   as  the  summer  advanced,  there  seemed  to  be  reason  to 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  369 

hope  that,  despite  the  extremists  on  both  sides,  the  two  governmeuts 
might  reach  a  satisfactory  conclusion.  Sir  Alfred  Milner  had 
declared  at  the  conference  that  he  was  prepared  to  drop  all 
questions  connected  with  the  position  of  British  subjects,  if  only 
President  Kruger  could  be  persuaded  to  adopt  a  liberal  measure  of 
enfranchisement,  and  in  urging  this  view,  Sir  Alfred  felt  he  was 
supported  by  no  inconsiderable  Dutch  sentiment.  Moreover,  pres- 
sure was  now  brought  to  bear  upon  the  president  by  those  whose 
honesty  could  not  be  questioned. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  informed  the  House  of  Commons  on  July  20, 
that  he  was  gratified  to  state  that  President  Kruger  had  greatly 
modified  his  proposals,  and  that  the  Government  hoped  that  the 
new  law  just  passed  by  the  Raad,  offered  the  basis  of  settlement 
on  the  lines  laid  down  by  Sir  Alfred  Milner  at  the  conference. 
Difficult  details  remained  to  be  arranged,  but  he  trusted  that  the 
president  would  show  himself  willing  to  deal  with  them  in  a  spirit 
that  would  contribute  to  the  desired  end. 

The  same  hopeful  tone  marked  the  dispatch  of  the  secretary 
of  state,  a  week  later,  when  he  informed  the  high  commissioner 
of  the  advances  made  by  President  Kruger  in  meeting  the  British 
demands.  He  pointed  out  that  the  Volksraad  "had  now  agreed  to 
a  measure  intended  to  give  the  franchise  immediately  to  those 
who  have  been  resident  in  the  country  for  seven  years,  as  well  as 
to  those  who  may  in  future  complete  this  period  of  residence. 
This  proposal  is  an  advance  on  previous  concessions,  and  leaves 
only  a  difference  of  two  years  between  yourself  and  President 
Kruger  so  far  as  the  franchise  is  concerned." 

Among  the  important  details  that  remained  to  be  arranged  was 
the   allotment    of    a    fair    proportion    of    seats   to    the    Uitlander 


:{70  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

districts,  nor  should  the  privileges  thus  granted  be  at  the  mercy  of 
the  Boer  government  to  reduce  or  wipe  out  altogether.  It  was 
suggested  that  the  best  way  to  arrange  these  details  was  to  submit 
the  matter  to  delegates  appointed  by  the  high  commissioner  and 
President  Kruger,  who  would  discuss  them  and  report  to  their 
respective  governments.  The  settlement  of  the  question  of  arbitra- 
tion seemed  in  sight,  though  Mr.  Chamberlain  would  not  consent 
that  any  question  should  arise  "in  the  interpretation  of  the  pre- 
amble of  tlie  Convention  of  1881,  which  governed  the  articles 
substituted  in  the  Convention  of  1884. 

The  high  commissioner  now  set  himself  to  examine  the  details 
and  probable  operation  of  the  new  law,  and  became  convinced  that 
it  was  so  inclosed  and  interwoven  with  diflSculties  and  complica- 
tions that  he  was  forced  to  advise  its  rejection.  Moreover,  the 
Boers  objected  to  the  appointment  of  a  joint  commission  to  inquire 
into  such  matters,  for,  always  suspicious,  they  saw  in  such  a  move 
a  peril  to  their  legislative  independence.  At  the  same  time  the 
Uitlanders  showed  no  wish  to  learn  the  basis  of  a  working  system 
in  the  bill  passed  by  the  Raad.  It  has  always  been  one  of  the 
contentions  of  President  Kruger  that  the  Uitlanders  had  no  wish 
to  become  enfranchised  citizens  of  the  Republic,  and  that  it  was 
simply  a  scheme  to  destroy  Boer  independence. 

And  so,  as  the  summer  waned,  the  disputants,  instead  of  draw- 
ing nearer,  steadily  recoiled,  and  the  cloud,  at  first  no  bigger  than 
a  man's  hand,  spread  and  darkened  in  the  sky,  and  thoughtful  men 
trembled  as  they  saw  it  still  growing  and  darkening.  In  the  latter 
part  of  August  President  Kruger,  having  objected  to  the  joint  com- 
mission, proposed  a  plan  for  dealing  with  the  franchise  and  repre- 
sentation which  went  much  further  than  any  proposal  heretofore 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  373 

made,  and  seemingly  were  more  liberal  than  the  proposals  of 
Sir  Alfred  Milner  himself.  This  project  included  a  five  years' 
retrospective  franchise,  ten  seats  for  the  Uitlander  districts  in  a  First 
Raad  of  thirty-six,  and  equality  between  new  and  old  burghers  in 
voting  for  the  election  of  the  President  of  the  Republic  and  Com- 
mandant-General. In  offering  these  terms,  the  government  declared 
it  was  going  far  beyond  what  could  be  reasonably  asked,  but  it  did 
so  "out  of  its  strong  desire  to  get  the  controversies  between  the 
two  governments  settled,  and  further,  to  put  an  end  to  present 
strained  relations  between  the  two  governments,  and  the  incalcu- 
lable harm  and  loss  it  has  already  occasioned  in  South  Africa,  and 
to  prevent  a  racial  war,  from  the  effects  of  which  South  Africa 
may  not  recover  for  many  generations — perhaps  never." 

Who  could  doubt,  on  the  face  of  it,  after  such  a  liberal  con- 
cession, that  the  cloud  in  the  sky  would  dissolve  and  melt  away, 
and  that  the  two  governments  would  speedily  come  to  terms?  It 
must  be  added,  however,  that  President  Kruger's  proposals  were 
conditioned  upon  Great  Britain's  non-interference  in  the  internal 
affairs  of  the  Republic,  her  renouncing  her  claim  to  suzerainty, 
and  her  agreement  to  arbitration  from  which  all  foreign  elements, 
except  that  of  the  Orange  Free  State,  should  be  excluded. 

The  reply  of  the  State  Secretary  was  characteristic.  He  was 
prepared  to  accept  the  Boer  plan  if,  after  examination  by  a  British 
and  a  Transvaal  agent,  it  was  clear  that  it  would  carry  out  the 
project  proposed;  and  he  "hoped"  that  further  interference  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Republic  would  not  be  necessary.  He  refused,  how- 
ever, to  waive  the  rights  of  Great  Britain  under  the  conventions 
(1881  and  1884),  or  to  divest  his  country  of  the  ordinary  obligations 
of  a  civilized   power  to  protect   its  subjects  in  a  foreign  land.     He 

20 


:{74  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

was  ready  to  agree  to  arbitration,  but  on  suzerainty  he  begged  to 
refer  the  South  African  Republic  to  his  previous  dispatch.  Mr. 
Chamberhiin  added: 

"Her  Majesty's  Government  also  desire  to  remind  the  govern- 
ment of  the  South  African  Republic  that  there  are  other  matters 
of  difference  between  the  two  governments  which  will  not  be 
settled  by  the  grant  of  political  representation  to  the  Uitlanders, 
and  which  are  not  proper  subjects  for  reference  to  arbitration.  It 
is  necessary  that  these  should  be  settled  concurrently  with  the 
questions  now  under  discussion,  and  they  will  form,  with  the  ques- 
tion of  arbitration,  proper  subjects  for  consideration  at  the  con- 
ference," which  the  secretary  proposed  should  be  held  by  the  high 
commissioners  and  the  president  at  Cape  Town. 

As  with  all  great  questions,  there  was  not  entire  unanimity  in 
England  as  to  Mr.  Chamberlain's  counter  proposals,  and  he  was 
subjected  to  more  or  less  criticism,  some  of  it  perhaps  dictated  by 
party  feeling.    Frederic  Harrison  thus  put  the  matter: 

"No  legal  quibbling  about  suzerainty  can  persuade  us  that  the 
South  African  Republic  is  a  part  of  the  empire.  If  it  is  not  part 
of  the  empire  it  must  be  a  foreign  state,  even  though  it  be  one 
over  which,  by  agreement,  Great  Britain  has  some  control.  But 
this  control  is  solely  concerned  with  the  external,  not  with  the 
internal,  relations  of  the  Republic.  The  point  in  dispute  solely 
relates  to  the  internal  relations  of  the  Transvaal.  No  one  pretends 
that  the  dispute  concerns  the  dealings  of  the  Republic  with  foreign 
nations.  Therefore  the  cause  of  war,  if  war  there  is  to  be,  arises 
from  matters  between  Great  Britain  and  the  home  affairs  of  a 
Republic  which  is  not  within  the  empire,  not  within  the  domin- 
ions of  the  Queen." 


THE  DARKENING  SKIES  375 

The  British  case  was  thus  stated  by  a  prominent  London  journal: 

"Where  nations  are  concerned  the  only  rights  are  the  rights 
of  strength,  of  ability,  and  of  success.  These  qualities  we  believe 
to  be  those  of  the  British  Empire  at  present,  and  we  mean  to 
make  them  manifest  in  South  Africa.  As  practical  men  we  see 
that  the  development  of  an  immense  portion  of  the  globe  lies  in 
our  hands,  and  in  our  hands  alone,  and  w^e  shall  admit  of  no 
obstacles  in  our  path.  The  Boer  may  stand  against  us  for  a 
moment,  but  only  to  be  swept  into  oblivion.  For  us,  too,  in  other 
days,  may  come  annihilation  and  defeat,  but  in  the  meanwhile  we 
are  the  paramount  power,  and  no  man  shall  deny  it." 

The  Boers  seem  to  have  made  a  serious  mistake,  when,  on  Sep- 
teml)er  2,  they  withdrew  their  offer  of  some  two  weeks  previous, 
on  the  ground  that  its  terms  and  conditions  were  not  frankly 
accepted  by  the  British  government.  They  said  they  did  not  ask 
the  government  to  yield  any  of  its  rights,  either  under  interna- 
tional law  or  by  virtue  of  any  treaty,  but  they  insisted  that  the 
Convention  of  1884  abolished  the  right  of  suzerainty.  They  showed 
further  by  their  reference  to  the  franchise  reform  already  passed, 
that  they  were  ready  to  consider  the  question  of  appointing  dele- 
gates to  examine  its  efficacy,  as  had  been  urged  by  the  Secretary 
of  State. 

In  his  reply  to  this  dispatch  on  September  9,  Mr.  Chamberlain 
repudiated  the  claim  of  the  Republic  to  "the  status  of  a  Sovereign 
International  State,"  refused  to  make  any  agreement  admitting  the 
admission  of  such  status.  He  declined  to  recede  from  the  proposals 
of  August  and  to  return  to  the  earlier  proposals  which  he  now 
pronounced  insufficient,  but  he  was  prepared  to  accept  those  of  the 
Boer  government  as  to  franchise  and  seats,  and  the  State  Secretary 


:j7(i  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

inadc  no  incut  ion  of  the  "suzerainty."  The  acceptance  of  these 
terms,  he  dechired,  would  at  once  remove  the  tension  between  the 
two  governments,  and  would,  in  all  probability,  render  unnecessary 
any  further  intervention  on  the  part  of  the  British  government  "to 
secure  the  redress  of  grievances  which  the  Uitlanders  would  them- 
selves be  able  to  bring  to  the  notice  of  the  executive  government 
and  Raad."  In  conclusion,  ^  c.  Chamberlain  urged  in  the  interests 
of  South  Africa,  the  relief  of  the  present  strain,  and  referred  to  a 
future  conference  between  the  high  commissioner  and  the  president 
on  outstanding  questions  not  relating  to  Uitlander  grievances. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


THE   ISSUE    IS    MADE    UP 


The  excitement  over  the  situation  in  South  Africa  steadily  grew 
throughout  the  month  of  September.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  intem- 
perate writing  in  the  newspapers,  and  a  few  insisted  that  it  was 
not  a  question  of  justice  and  right,  but  of  who  was  to  rule  in  Africa. 
Influential  men  urged  the  government  to  cease  its  dallying,  break  off 
negotiations  and  send  a  powerful  army  into  the  Transvaal  that  would 
bring  the  Boers  to  their  senses.  To  the  replies  that  it  was  the 
period  of  all  others  when  patience  and  calm  deliberation  should 
prevail,  many  shouted  "Remember  Majuba  Hill."  The  memory  of 
the  defeat  suffered  on  that  battlefield  by  the  British  arms,  is  a  sore 
one  to  England.  Fortunately  the  government  had  thoughtful  men 
at  the  head  of  affairs  who  refused  to  be  driven  into  any  rash  steps. 
Why  should  they,  when  they  had  reason  to  hope  they  could  accom- 
plish their  purpose  by  diplomacy  instead  of  force?  Lord  Salisbury 
and  his  Cabinet  remained  cool,  with  the  determination  to  keep  open 
to  the  last  hour  the  door  for  temperate  proposals  and  action. 

The  most  regrettable  feature  of  the  situation  was,  that  the  two 
governments  should  come  so  near  each  other  in  their  proposals  and 
counter-proposals,  and  yet  the  strong  probability  of  war  remain.  And 
this,  too,  when  none  knew  better  than  both  the  full  cup  of  sorrow 
and  suffering  that  would  be  pressed  to  the  lips  of  each  in  the  event 
of  hostilities  breaking  out  between  the  two  nations. 

The  reader  will  understand  from  what  has  been  already  stated, 
that  the  insuperable  obstacle  in  the  way  of  a  relief  of  the  teusiou 

(877) 


378  THE  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

ami  the  securcmcnt  of  absolute  tranquillity,  was  the  distrust  of 
President  Kruger  and  his  countrymen  in  the  motives  and  real  designs 
of  Great  Britain.  Could  they  have  felt  absolutely  certain  that 
Eugland  was  not  plotting  to  wrest  their  country  from  them,  that  its 
independence  would  never  be  attacked  and  that  the  mighty  empire 
would  rest  content  with  what  she  had  asked,  there  would  not  have 
been  any  hesitation  in  granting  her  demands. 

President  Kruger  is  a  suspicious  man,  and  he  believed  that  the 
mainspring  of  Great  Britain's  action  was  the  party  in  South  Africa, 
who  has  always  admitted  its  purpose  of  securing  full  possession  of 
the  country.  Although  in  another  place  we  have  given  a  sketch  of 
this  remarkable  man,  it  is  not  inappropriate  to  quote  here  the  words 
of  Mr.  Lecky,  who  knew  him  well : 

"He  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  stern  Puritan  warrior 
of  the  Commonwealth — a  strong,  stubborn  man,  with  indomitable 
courage  and  resolution,  with  very  little  tinge  of  cultivation,  but  with 
a  rare  natural  shrewdness  in  judging  men  and  events,  impressing  all 
who  came  in  contact  with  him  with  the  extraordinary  force  of  his 
nature.  He  is  a  member  of  the  'Dopper'  sect,  who  are  opposed  to 
everything  in  the  nature  of  innovation,  and  is  ardently  religious, 
believing,  it  is  said,  as  strongly  as  Wesley  in  a  direct  personal 
inspi^-ation  guiding  him  in  his  acts." 

It, was  on  September  2,  that  the  Boers,  finding  their  proposal 
rejected,  returned  to  the  former  offer  of  Great  Britain  and  agreed 
to  the  proposed  commission  of  inquiry  into  the  seven  years'  franchise. 
The  British  Government,  however,  was  convinced  that  the  scheme 
would  not  give  immediate  and  proper  representation  to  the 
Uitlanders.  She  insisted  upon  what  is  known  as  the  five  years' 
franchise,  with   the   further   condition    that   the   English    language 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  379 

should  be  equally  authorized  with  the  Dutch  in  the  proceedings 
of  the   Volksraad. 

The  Boers  replied  September  16,  expressing  their  surprise 
that  a  new  proposal  should  be  made,  after  they  had  accepted 
the  original  proposition  of  Mr.  Chamberlain  to  refer  the  dispute  over 
the  seven  years'  franchise  to  a  mixed  commission  of  inquiry.  They 
added:  "It  is  not  clear  on  what  grounds  Her  Majesty's  Government 
after  having  recently,  by  means  of  its  invitation,  intimated  that  it 
could  not  declare,  wdthout  an  inquiry,  whether  the  franchise  law 
would  afford  immediate  and  substantial  representation,  is  to-day, 
without  having  made  any  inquiry,  in  a  position  to  declare  that  the 
measure  thus  mentioned  is  insufficient  for  the  object  contemplated." 

The  following  paragraph  is  from  an  English  writer  in  the 
Revieio  of  Reviews: 

"It  is  w^oi-th  while  to  note  here  that  in  pressing  for  the 
adoption  of  the  mixed  commission  of  inquiry  into  the  question  as 
to  the  extent  of  the  enfranchisement  secured  by  the  new  Trans- 
vaal law,  the  Boers  were  not  only  accepting  the  proposal  which 
the  English  Government  itself  had  made,  but  they  were  placing 
themselves  in  a  line  with  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  whole 
civilized  world.  At  the  conference  at  The  Hague  such  disputes 
as  those  between  England  and  the  Transvaal,  which  turn  on  a 
question  of  fact,  were  lengthily  discussed  and  carefully  provided  for 
in  Article  9  of  the  Convention  of  Arbitration.  Lord  Pauncefote,  on 
behalf  of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  took  a  leading  and  honorable 
part  in  elaborating  this  article,  which  provides  that  when  disputes 
arise  between  states  which  threaten  to  involve  war,  an  inter- 
national commission  of  investigation  should  be  issued  for  the  pur- 
pose   of    clearing    up    the    facts    by  a    careful    and    conscientious 


880  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

examination  such  as  would  throw  light  upon  all  that  was  obscure 
in  the  controversy.  The  Boers  had,  therefore,  behind  them,  not  only 
Mr.  Chamberlain's  own  proposal,  but  the  unanimous  counsel  of  all 
the  powers  represented  at  The  Hague,  from  which  assembly  they 
themselves  had  been  excluded.  Nevertheless,  instead  of  accepting 
their  proposal,  our  ministers — whose  monumental  patience  is  so 
extolled  by  their  Pharisaic  acolytes— did  exactly  what  they  would  not 
have  done  if  they  had  wished  for  peace,  and  took  the  step  which  every 
one  predicted  they  would  take  who  believed  that  Mr.  Chamberlain, 
having  worked  for  war,  would  not  be  balked  of  his  prey." 

One  of  the  most  powerful  allies  of  Lord  Pauncefote  at  The 
Hague  was  M.  D'Estournelles,  who,  for  a  number  of  years,  was 
virtually  French  Ambassador  at  London.  He  was  the  author  at 
the  Peace  Conference  of  the  clause  concerning  duty  in  the  arbitra- 
tion convention.  While  the  skies  were  darkening  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  Transvaal  he  uttered  the  following  impressive  words: 

"I  shall  only  say  one  word  about  England,  to  call  to  mind 
that  it  is  to  her  eminent  delegate.  Lord  Pauncefote,  that  is  due  the 
great  honor  of  having  been  the  first  to  produce  a  project  for  an 
international  tribunal  of  arbitration.  This  honor  may  become  an 
unalterable  and  brilliant  glory  if  England  remains  faithful  to  the 
initiative  which  she  has  taken.  A  dispute  of  long  standing  has 
just  broken  out  between  her  and  the  little  state  of  the  Transvaal. 
This  is  the  crucial  test!  This  is  the  opportunity  for  an  action 
strengthening  the  declarations  of  the  government.  *  *  *  '  ^m 
England,  after  three  months,  take  two  contradictory  initiatives? 
Will  she  resort  to  the  machinery  of  The  Hague  to  declare  war  at 
Pretoria?  No— that  seems  impossible.  She  will  not  condemn  her- 
self.   She  will  not,  with  her  own  hands,  tear  up  the  peace-making 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  381 

document  which  she  has  hardly  drawn  up;  she  will  not  make  the 
world  resound  with  the  noise  of  battle  on  the  morrow  of  the  day 
when  she  held  up  before  its  eyes  the  shining  sign,  so  long  expected, 
of  justice  and  peace-making." 

Great  Britain,  however,  insisted  upon  her  demand  for  the  five 
years'  franchise,  and,  by  way  of  offsetting  her  claim  to  the  suzer- 
ainty of  1881,  offered  to  guarantee  the  Boers  against  outside  attack. 

Mr.  Chamberlain  shrewdly  referred  in  his  dispatch  to  the 
obligations  of  the  Transvaal  under  the  "conventions."  This  use  of 
the  plural  was  proof  of  the  State  Secretary's  insistence  that  the 
preamble  to  the  Conventions  of  1881  (wherein  suzerainty  was 
expressed),  had  been  transferred  to  the  head  of  the  resolutions  of 
1884,  in  which  the  word  "suzerainty"  does  not  occur.  This  claim 
was  never  admitted  by  the  Republic,  and  was  condemned  by  many 
Englishmen. 

It  was  proclaimed  in  some  quarters  that  if  the  South  African 
Republic  rejected  this  fair  offer  the  British  troops  in  South  Africa 
were  to  be  increased  to  70,000,  or  even  more,  and,  when  completed, 
their  work  would  leave  no  enemies  in  the  Transvaal,  the  Orange 
Free  State,  among  the  Cape  Dutch,  or  any  natives  who  dared  to 
raise  a  hand  against  the  British  flag. 

It  is  never  diplomatic  to  be  hasty,  and  the  Boers  were  slow 
in  replying  to  the  British  dispatch,  which  concluded  with  a  threat 
that  if  the  reply  was  not  satisfactory  to  Great  Britain,  she  would 
again  change  the  issue,  and,  abandoning  all  discussion  of  the 
franchise  issue,  would  formulate  new  demands,  which  would  be  less 
favorable  to  Boer  wishes. 

All  admit  the  natural  diplomatic  ability  of  President  Kruger 
and  his  associates,  but  the  best  friends  of  the  Boers  agree  that  they 


:{si>  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

now  committed  one  of  the  gravest  of  blunders,  whereby  they  fatally 
weakened  their  position. 

It  has  been  shown  that  they  had  numerous  and  powerful 
friends  in  England,  all  of  whom  were  in  the  ranks  of  the  Liberal 
party.  The  aid  of  these  friends  was  indispensable.  President 
Kruger  and  his  counselors  should  have  deferred  to  the  judgment  of 
these  friends  at  court,  who  were  rapidly  educating  the  public  up  to 
the  point  of  opposing  all  considered  action.  One  cannot  help 
believing  that,  if  the  Boers  had  made  none  of  their  preparations 
for  war,  but  appealed  to  the  fairness  of  the  plain  people  of 
England,  the  response  would  have  been  all  they  could  reasonably 
ask.  Could  that  illustrious  and  virtuous  Queen,  who  sits  upon  the 
throne  at  the  close  of  almost  two  generations  of  beneficent  rule 
and  whose  horror  of  war  is  well  known,  have  closed  her  ears  to 
the  appeal  of  the  Boers,  had  it  been  made  under  the  conditions 
named?  Nothing  was  clearer  than  that  the  "plain  people"  desired 
no  war  with  them,  and  had  the  Boers  placed  their  reliance 
wholly  upon  this  sentiment  and  feeling  the  staff  would  have  proved 
a  sure  one. 

However,  it  is  useless  to  speculate  over  what  might  or  might 
not  have  been.  The  last  vestige  of  doubt  as  to  the  object  of 
Great  Britain  was  removed  by  the  reception  of  Mr.  Chamberlain's 
dispatch.  The  feeling  in  South  Africa  was  that  no  compromise 
remained  possible,  and  that  the  struggle  for  independence  was 
to  be  fought  out  to  the  end.  A  wave  of  war  excitement  swept 
over  the  Republic  and  the  Orange  Free  State,  and  the  demand 
was  almost  irrestrainable  for  an  opening  of  hostilities.  On  the  28th 
of  September,  the  Orange  Free  State  announced  that  it  would 
support  the  Transvaal  in  the  event  of  a  war  with  Great  Britain, 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  383 

and  on  October  4th,  the  British  Parliament  authorized  the  immediate 
expenditure  of  $15,000,000  for  moving  troops  and  munitions  to  South 
Africa.  On  the  following  day,  2,500  troops  were  landed  in  Natal, 
and  two  days  later  a  royal  proclamation  ordered  the  mobilization 
of  the  British  reserves. 

One  matter  must  be  mentioned  at  this  point.  More  than  once 
it  was  hinted  in  the  peace  papers  of  England  that  the  under- 
lying motive  of  the  British  Government  throughout  the  negotia- 
tions was  the  suppression  of  what,  they  had  good  reason  to  believe, 
was  a  far-reaching  conspiracy  for  the  establishment  of  a  Dutch 
federation  from  the  Zambesi  to  the  Cape.  This  assertion  was  made 
by  Mr.  Chamberlain,  who  said  that  it  could  not  be  brought  before 
the  public,  since  the  government's  objects  might  be  misinterpreted. 
He  referred,  in  support  of  this  view,  to  the  action  of  the  Free  State 
and  to  that  of  the  Afrikander  members  of  the  Cape  Legislature, 
which,  it  would  seem,  afforded  some  justification  of  the  view. 

The  members  of  the  Volksraad  looked  upon  the  British  notes 
as  subterfuges  to  gain  time  in  which  to  concentrate  their  troops 
for  the  invasion  and  conquest  of  the  country.  They  urged  the 
government  to  adjourn  the  Raad  immediately  and  to  send  Great 
Britain  a  note  declaring  that  further  mobilization  would  be  regarded 
as  an  unfriendly  act.  The  veteran  General  Joubert  advised  patience 
and  moderation,  and  in  reply  it  was  plainly  intimated  that,  if  he 
shrank  from  taking  the  initiative,  «there  were  plenty  of  competent 
officers  eager  to  step  into  his  place. 

Naturally,  it  was  believed  that  the  first  important  attempt  of 
the  British  would  be  the  capture  of  Pretoria,  their  capital,  and  no 
time  was  lost  in  adding  to  its  strength.  Trenches,  earthworks  and 
sand-bag   defenses   were  erected  at  all  the  approaches  to  the  city; 


:{S4  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

messages  were  sent  through  tlie  country  calling  upon  the  people 
to  he  ready  for  war,  and  the  excitement  became  more  intense 
than  before. 

On  October  10  the  South  African  Republic  sent  its  ultimatum 
to  Great  Britain,  and  it  was  like  a  bolt  from  the  clear  sky.  The 
full  text  of  this  important  document  follows: 

"Sir:  The  Government  of  the  South  African  Republic  feels 
compelled  to  refer  the  Government  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  once  more  to  the  Convention  of  London 
of  1884,  concluded  between  this  Republic  and  the  United  Kingdom. 
Its  fourteenth  article  secures  certain  specified  rights  to  the  white 
population  of  this  Republic,  namely,  that  (here  follows  Article  XIV 
of  the  Convention  of  London  of  1884). 

"This  Government  wishes  further  to  observe  that  the  above 
are  the  only  rights  which  Her  Majesty's  Government  has  reserved 
in  the  above  convention  in  regard  to  the  Uitlander  population  of 
this  Republic,  and  that  a  violation  only  of  those  rights  could  give 
that  Government  the  right  of  diplomatic  representations  or  inter- 
vention, while,  moreover,  the  regulation  of  all  other  questions 
affecting  the  position  or  rights  of  the  Uitlander  population  under 
the  above  mentioned  convention,  is  handed  over  to  the  Government 
and  representatives  of  the  people  of  the  South  African  Republic. 

"  Among  the  questions,  the  regulation  of  which  falls  exclusively 
within  the  competence  of  this  Government  and  Volksraad,  are 
included  those  of  the  franchise  and  the  representation  of  the 
people  in  this  Republic,  and  although  thus  the  exclusive  right  of 
this  Government  and  Volksraad  for  the  regulation  of  that  fran- 
chise and  representation  is  indisputable,  yet  this  Government  has 
found  occasion  to  discuss,  in  a  friendly   fashion,  the   franchise  and 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  385 

representation  of  the  people  with  Her  Majesty's  Government,  with- 
out, however,  recognizing  any  riglit  thereto  on  the  part  of  Her 
Majesty's  Government. 

"This  Government  has  also,  by  the  formulation  of  the  now 
existing  Franchise  law,  and  the  resolution  in  regard  to  representa- 
tion, constantly  held  these  friendly  discussions  before  its  eyes.  On 
the  part  of  Her  Majesty's  Government,  however,  the  friendly  nature 
of  these  discussions  has  assumed  a  more  and  more  threatening 
tone,  and  the  minds  of  the  people  of  this  Republic  and  the  whole 
of  South  Africa  have  been  excited,  and  a  condition  of  extreme 
tension  has  been  created,  while  Her  Majesty's  Government  could 
no  longer  agree  to  the  legislation  respecting  the  franchise  and  the 
resolution  respecting  representation  in  this  Republic,  and,  finally, 
by  your  note  of  September  25,  1899,  broke  off  all  friendly  corres- 
pondence on  the  subject  and  intimated  that  it  must  now  proceed 
to  formulate  its  own  proposals  for  a  final  settlement. 

"This  Government  can  only  see  in  the  above  intimation  from 
Her  Majesty's  Government  a  new  violation  of  the  Convention  of 
London  of  1884,  which  does  not  reserve  to  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment the  right  to  a  unilateral  settlement  of  a  question  which  is 
an  exclusively  domestic  one  for  this  Government,  and  has  already 
been  regulated  by  it. 

"On  account  of  the  strained  situation  and  the  consequent  serious 
loss  in  and  interruption  of  trade  in  general,  which  the  correspond- 
ence respecting  the  franchise  and  representation  in  this  Republic 
carried  in  its  train,  Her  Majesty's  Government  has  recently  pressed 
for  an  early  settlement  and  tinally  pressed  for  an  answer  within 
forty-eight  hours,  subsequently  somewhat  modified,  to  your  note  of 
September    12,    replied    to    by    the    note    of    this    Government    of 


;}S6  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Si'ptem))er  15.  and  your  note  of  September  25,  and  thereafter 
further  friendly  negotiations  broke  off,  and  this  Government 
received  an  intimation  that  a  proposal  for  a  final  settlement 
would  shortly  be  made.  But,  although  this  promise  was  once  more 
repeated,  no  proposal  has  now  reached  this  Government. 

*'  Even  while  friendly  correspondence  was  still  going  on  an 
increase  of  troops  on  a  large  scale  was  introduced  by  Her  Majesty's 
Government  and  they  were  stationed  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
borders  of  this  Republic.  Having  regard  to  occurrences  in  the 
history  of  this  Republic  which  it  is  unnecessary  here  to  call 
to  mind,  this  Government  felt  obliged  to  regard  this  military 
force  in  the  neighborhood  of  its  borders  as  a  threat  against 
the  independence  of  the  South  African  Republic,  since  it  is 
aware  of  no  circumstance  to  justify  the  presence  of  such  a 
military  force  in  South  Africa  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  its 
borders. 

"  In  response  to  an  inquiry  in  respect  thereto,  addressed  to  the 
British  High  Commissioner,  this  Government  received,  to  its  great 
sistonishment,  a  veiled  insinuation  that  from  the  side  of  the 
Republic  an  attack  might  be  made  on  Her  Majesty's  colonies,  and 
at  the  same  time  a  mysterious  reference  to  possibilities,  by  which 
it  was  strengthened  in  the  suspicion  that  the  independence  of  this 
Republic  was  being  threatened. 

"As  a  defensive  measure  it,  therefore,  was  obliged  to  send  a 
portion  of  the  burghers  of  this  Republic  in  order  to  offer  requisite 
resistance  to  similar  possibilities. 

"The  dispatch  lays  stress  on  the  fact  that  the  military  prep- 
arations and  action  of  Great  Britain  have  caused  an  intolerable 
condition     of     affairs     throughout     South    Africa.      Therefore,    it 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  387  . 

says  the  Transvaal  Government  is  compelled  earnestly  to 
press  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  give  assurances  on  the  follow- 
ing  points: 

"First.  That  all  points  of  mutual  difference  be  regulated  by 
friendly  recourse  to  arbitration,  or  by  whatever  amicable  way  may  be 
agreed  upon  by  this  Government  and  Her  Majesty's  Government. 

"Second.  That  all  troops  on  the  borders  of  this  Republic 
shall  be  instantly  withdrawn. 

"Third.  That  all  reinforcements  of  troops  which  have  arrived 
in  South  Africa  since  June  1,  1899,  shall  be  removed  from  South 
Africa  within  a  reasonable  time,  to  be  agreed  upon  with  this 
Government  and  with  the  mutual  assurance  and  guarantee  on  the 
part  of  this  Government  that  no  attack  upon,  or  hostilities  against 
any  portion  of  the  possessions  of  the  British  government  shall  be 
made  by  this  Republic  during  the  further  negotiations,  within  a 
period  of  time  to  be  subsequently  agreed  upon  between  the  govern- 
ments, and  this  Government  will,  on  compliance  therewith,  be  pre- 
pared to  withdraw  the  armed  burghers  of  this  Republic  from  the 
borders. 

"Fourth.  That  Her  Majesty's  troops,  which  are  now  on  the 
high  seas,  shall  not  be  landed  in  any  part  of  South  Africa." 

The  Ultimatum  ends  as  follows: 

"This  Government  must  press  for  an  immediate  affirmative 
answer  to  these  four  questions,  and  earnestly  requests  Her  ^lajesty's 
Government  to  return  such  answer  before  or  on  October  11,  1899, 
not  later  than  five  P.  M. 

"It  desires,  further,  to  add  that  in  the  unexpected  event  tliat 
no  satisfactory  answer  is  received  in  that  interval,  it  will  be  com- 
pelled,  with   great   regret,  to   regard  the  action   of  Her  Majesty's 


:{,^s  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Government  as  a  formal  declaration  of  war,  and  will  not  hold  itself 
responsible  for  the  consequences  thereof. 

"And  in  the  event  of  any  further  movements  of  troops  within 
the  above  time  in  a  nearer  direction  to  our  borders,  this  Govern- 
ment will  be  compelled  to  regard  that  as  a  formal  declaration  of 
war.  F.  W.  REITZ,  State  Secretary." 

It  was  a  daring  act  on  the  part  of  the  little  republic  thus  to 
beard  the  lion  in  his  den,  hut  the  Boers  did  not  intend  to  wait 
until  the  vast  armies  of  Great  Britain  were  landed  on  her  soil. 

The  text  of  the  ultimatum  was  received  in  London  on  the 
morning  of  October  10,  and  the  answer  was  demanded  by  five  P.  M, 
of  the  following  day.  As  might  have  been  anticipated  Great  Britain 
refused  to  discuss  the  audacious  document.  On  the  17th  Par- 
liament was  opened  in  extraordinary  session  to  consider  the  South 
African  situation.    The  Queen's  speech  was  as  follows : 

"  My  Lords  and  Gentlemen  :  Within  a  very  brief  period  after 
the  recent  prorogation  I  am  compelled  by  events  deeply  affecting 
the  interests  of  my  empire  to  recur  to  your  advice  and  aid.  The 
state  of  affairs  in  South  Africa  makes  it  expedient  that  my  gov- 
ernment should  be  enabled  to  strengthen  the  military  forces  of 
this  country  by  calling  out  the  reserves.  For  this  purpose  the 
provisions  of  the  law  render  it  necessary  that  Parliament  should 
be  called  together.  Except  for  the  difficulties  that  have  been  caused 
by  the  action  of  the  South  African  Republic,  the  condition  of  the 
world  continues  to  be  peaceful. 

"Gentlemen  of  the  House  of  Commons:  Measures  will  be  laid 
before  you  for  the  purpose  of  providing  for  an  expenditure  which 
has  been  or  may  be  caused  by  events  in  South  Africa.  The  esti- 
mates for  the  ensuing  year  will  be  submitted  to  you  in  due  course. 


BLUE  JACKETS  BATTERING  THE  BOERS  AT  LADYSMITH. 


NATIVE  DISPATCH  CARRIER  OVERTAKEN  BY  BOERS. 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  391 

"  My  Lords  and  Gentlemen  :  There  are  many  subjects  of 
domestic  interest  to  which  your  interest  will  be  invited  at  a  later 
period  when  the  ordinary  season  for  the  labors  of  a  parliamentary 
session  has  been  reached.  For  the  present  I  have  invited  your 
attention  in  order  to  ask  you  to  deal  with  an  exceptional  exigency, 
and  I  pray  that  in  performing  the  duties  which  claim  your  atten- 
tion you  may  have  the  guidance  and  blessing  of  Almighty  God." 

There  was  an  immense  crowd  in  the  House  of  Commons  when 
the  session  was  resumed.  The  customary  address  in  reply  to  the 
speech  from  the  throne  was  moved  by  Sir  Alexander  Aclan-Hood, 
Conservative,  which  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Royds,  a  Unionist  mem- 
ber. Sir  Henry  Campbell-Bannermann,  speaking  in  behalf  of  the 
opposition,  said  the  demands  of  the  Transvaal  government  were 
couched  in  such  language  that  it  was  impossible  for  any  self- 
respecting  country  to  consider  them,  and  he  assured  the  government 
that  his  followers  would  offer  no  obstacles  to  the  granting  of  the 
supplies  necessary  to  the  rapid  and  effective  prosecution  of  the  war. 

The  speaker  insisted  that  the  essential  grievances  of  the 
foreigners  in  the  Transvaal  had  been  removed,  and  the  British 
position  in  South  Africa  made  England  responsible  for  its  quiet 
and  content.  The  civil  negotiations  he  regarded,  to  some  extent, 
as  a  game  of  bluff,  unworthy  of  a  great  nation,  and  not  likely  to 
be  successful  with  the  Boers,  and  he  asked  Mr.  A.  J.  Balfour,  the 
government  leader  of  the  house  of  commons,  for  assurances  that 
the  government  was  not  actuated  by  any  unworthy  desire  to 
avenge  former  military  disasters,  or  to  establish  the  political  super- 
iority of  Englishmen  over  Dutchmen. 

Mr.  Balfour  warmly  replied,  repudiating  the  suggestion  that 
Great  Britain  had  goaded  the  Boers  into  war  by  flaunting  suzerainty 

21 


392  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

before  them,  or  that  she  had  been  engaged  in  a  game  of  bluff, 
adding  that  the  country  had  never  gone  to  war  on  an  issue  which 
was  more  clearly  one  of  righteousness  and   liberty. 

Sir  Charles  Dilke,  Radical,  said  he  had  not  a  particle  of 
sympathy  for  the  thick-headed  toryism  of  the  Boers  in  their  treat- 
ment of  the  Uitlanders.  It  was  impossible  to  refuse  the  gauntlet 
they  had  thrown  down,  but  he  regarded  with  grave  doubt,  the 
sacrifices  imposed  on  his  country.  He  foresaw  the  future  strain 
upon  the  British  military  system  in  maintaining  garrisons  in  South 
Africa,  which  might  lead  to  the  neglect  of  the  navy. 

Mr.  John  Dillon,  anti-Parnellite,  moved  an  amendment  to  the 
address,  to  the  effect  that  the  war  had  been  caused  by  Great 
Britain  claiming  the  right  to  interfere  in  the  internal  affairs  of  the 
Transvaal  in  direct  violation  of  the  convention,  and  by  her  mass- 
ing troops  on  the  frontiers.  He  insisted  upon  independent  fiiendly 
arbitration.  Mr.  Dillon's  amendment  was  rejected  by  a  vote  of 
322  to  54. 

In  the  House  of  Lords,  the  Earl  of  Kimberley,  the  Liberal 
leader  of  that  body,  said  the  government  could  not  have  sent  any 
other  reply  than  they  did  to  the  extraordinary  ultimatum  of  the 
Transvaal.  He  added:  "There  are  some  points  in  the  negotiations, 
however,  Avhich  I  have  not  viewed  with  satisfaction.  The  negotia- 
tions have  not  been  conducted  in  a  prudent,  and  certainly  not  in 
a  successful,  manner.  My  own  interpretation  of  the  word  'suze- 
rainty' is  that  there  are  in  the  London  Convention  certain  stipula- 
tions which  limit  British  sovereignty  in  the  Transvaal,  and  that,  to 
the  extent  of  these  limitations,  there   is    constituted   'suzerainty.'" 

The  Premier,  the  Marquis  of  Salisbury,  replying  to  Lord 
Kimberley's  criticism  of  the  negotiations,  said: 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  393 

"The  Boer  government  were  pleased  to  dispense  with  any 
explanation  on  our  part  respecting  the  causes  or  justification  of 
the  war.  They  have  done  what  no  provocation  on  our  part  could 
have  justified.  They  have  done  what  the  strongest  nation  has 
never  in  its  strength  done  to  any  opponent  it  had  challenged. 
They  issued  a  defiance  so  audacious  that  I  could  scarcely  depict  it 
without  using  words  unsuited  for  this  assembly,  and  by  so  doing 
they  liberated  this  country  from  the  necessity  of  explaining  to  the 
people  of  England  why  we  are  at  war.  But  for  this,  no  one  could 
have  predicted  that  we  would  ever  be  at  war. 

"There  have  been  very  grave  questions  between  us,  but  up  to 
the  time  of  the  ultimatum,  the  modes  we  had  suggested  of 
settling  them  were  successful,  and  the  spirit  in  which  we  were  met 
was  encouraging.  We  lately  had  hoped  that  the  future  had  in 
reserve  for  us  a  better  fate. 

"It  was  largely  due  to  the  character  of  Mr.  Kruger,  and  to  the 
ideas  pursued  by  him,  that  we  have  been  led  step  by  step  to 
the  present  moment,  when  we  are  compelled  to  decide  whether 
the  future  of  South  Africa  will  be  a  growing  Dutch  suprem- 
acy or  a  safe,  perfectly  established  supremacy  of  the  English 
people." 

The  Premier  concluded  by  dealing  briefly  with  the  government's 
future  policy  in  South  Africa,  declaring  that,  while  there  must  be 
no  doubt  as  to  the  paramountcy  of  the  sovereign  power  of  Great 
Britain,  there  must  also  be  no  doubt  that  the  white  races  in  South 
Africa  would  be  put  upon  an  equality,  and  due  precautions  taken 
for  the  "philanthropic,"  friendly  and  improving  treatment  of  those 
countless  indigenous  races  of  whose  destiny,  I  fear,  we  have  hitherto 
been  too  forgetful. 


394  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"Those  things  must  be  insisted  upon  in  future,"  exclaimed 
Lord  Salisbury.  "By  what  means  they  are  to  be  obtained,  1  do 
not  know.  T  hope  they  may  be  consistent  with  the  very  large 
amount  of  autonomy  on  the  part  of  the  race  which  values  its 
individual  share  in  government  as  much  as  the  Dutch  people  do. 
But  with  that  question  we  are  not  concerned  now.  We  have  only 
to  make  it  clear  that  the  great  objects  essential  to  the  power  of 
England  in  South  Africa,  to  the  good  government  of  South  Africa 
and  to  the  rights  of  all  the  races  concerned,  are  the  objects  of  the 
British  government,  objects  which,  with  the  full  support  of  the 
nation  and  without  distinction  of  party,  the  government  are 
now  pursuing,  and  which  they  will  pursue  and  persevere  in  to 
the  end. 

"But  now  all  question  of  possible  peace,  all  question  of  justi- 
fying the  attitude  we  had  assumed,  and  all  question  of  pointing  out 
the  errors  and  the  grave  oppression  of  which  the  Transvaal  gov- 
ernment have  been  guilty,  all  these  questions  have  been  wiped 
away  in  this  one  great  insult,  which  leaves  us  no  other  course  than 
the  one  which  has  received  the  assent  of  the  whole  nation  and 
which  it  is  our  desire  to  carry  out. 

"  It  is  a  satisfactory  feature  of  our  policy  during  these  latter 
days  that  on  questions  involving  the  vital  interests  and  honor  of 
the  country  there  are  no  distinctions  of  party." 

His  lordship  said  he  believed  that  a  desire  to  get  rid  of  the 
word  "suzerainty"  and  the  reality  which  it  expressed,  had  been  the 
controlling  desire  of  President  Kruger's  life.  It  was  for  that  that 
the  president  of  the  Transvaal  had  set  up  the  negotiations  of  1884, 
and.  in  order  to  get  that  hateful  word  out  of  the  convention,  he 
had  made  considerable  sacrifices.     Mr.  Kruger  had  used  oppression 


THE  ISSUE  IS  MADE  UP  395 

• 

of  the  Uitlanders  as  a  screw  to  obtain  a  concession  on  the  subject 
of  suzerainty. 

The  premier  added : 

"  I  quite  agree  that  the  word  *  suzerainty  '  is  not  necessary  for 
Great  Britain's  present  purpose.  Situated  as  Great  Britain  is  in 
South  Africa  toward  the  Transvaal  and  the  Uitlanders,  she  has  a 
duty  to  fulfill  which  has  nothing  to  do  with  any  convention  or  any 
question  of  suzerainty.  This  word,  however,  being  put  into  the 
treaty,  obtained  an  artificial  value  and  meaning  which  have  pre- 
vented Great  Britain  from  entirely  abandoning  it.  If  Great  Britain 
dropped  it  she  would  be  intimating  that  she  also  repudiated  and 
abandoned  the  ideas  attached  to  it. 

The  opportunity  was  offered  the  United  States  to  return  the 
courtesy  shown  by  Great  Britain  in  the  late  war  with  Spain.  At  the 
request  of  Her  Majesty's  government,  the  United  States  consuls  in 
South  Africa  were  directed  to  look  after  British  interests  in  that 
section  during  the  continuance  of  tlie  war. 

Now  that  Great  Britain  was  fairly  launched  into  the  war,  her 
people  rallied  to  her  support.  Those  who  had  been  the  strongest 
friends  of  the  Transvaal,  so  long  as  negotiations  were  under  way,  and 
there  was  promise  of  a  peaceful  solution,  saw  that  the  ultimatum 
from  Pretoria  left  but  one  course  open  to  them.  The  wish  was  that, 
since  the  war  had  come,  it  would  be  pressed  to  the  quickest  possible 
conclusion,  for  when  one  has  a  bad  job  on  hand,  he  cannot  get 
through  it  too  promptly. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  16th,  an  enthusiastic  meeting  of  mem- 
bers of  the  London  Stock  Exchange  was  held  at  the  Guildhall  to 
approve  of  the  government's  policy  in  South  Africa.  Four  hundred 
brokers,  carrying  the  Union  Jack  and  the  Royal  Standard,  marched 


39G  THE  STOliY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

to  tin;  hall,  where  the  meeting  was  opened  with  the  singing  of  the 
national  anthem.  A  resolution  was  proposed,  and  warmly  supported 
by  Samuel  Stewart  Gladstone,  Governor  of  the  Bank  of  England, 
declaring  that,  while  the  meeting  deplored  the  war,  the  responsibility 
for  it  rested  upon  the  Transvaal  government.  The  resolution  which 
was  adopted,  assured  the  government  of  the  cordial  and  enthusiastic 
support  of  the  citizens  of  London  in  its  course  of  claiming  and 
insisting  on  equal  rights  of  all  the  white  races  in  South  Africa. 


CHAPTER  XX 


THE    CONTESTANTS    AND    FIRST    BLOWS 


It  may  be  well  at  this  point  to  consider  the  respective  military 
powers  of  Great  Britain  on  one  side,  and  the  forces  of  the  South 
African  Republic  and  the  Orange  Free  State  on  the  other.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  state  that  Great  Britain  is  the  overwhelming 
superior  power  on  the  sea.  While  she  cannot  bring  her  magnificent 
war  ships  directly  into  the  contest  as  opposed  to  the  Boers,  who  have 
no  navy,  yet  these  naval  resources  have  served  England  in  good  stead. 
Her  many  ships  have  been  utilized  to  transport  troops  and  munitions 
of  war,  and,  in  this  way,  she  has  been  enabled  to  quickly  put  into 
South  Africa  a  vast  army.  The  resources  of  England  as  to  money  are 
practically  unlimited.  Her  power  to  create  an  offensive  force  is  to  a 
gi'eat  extent  limited  by  the  loyalty  of  her  colonies.  To  increase  the 
regular  army  of  England  she  must  call  upon  the  colonies  for  aid.  They 
might  give  her  thousands  of  additional  troops,  and  certainly  a  vast 
army  could  be  raised  in  the  empire  for  purely  defensive  purposes.  As 
to  whether  her  colonial  sons  will  offer  up  their  lives  to  the  mother 
country  in  large  numbers,  in  an  offensive  war,  is  a  question  which 
must  be  settled  by  developments.  It  has  been  stated  that  an  army 
of  two  hundred  thousand  men  is  all  that  England  can  hope  to  put 
into  South  Africa,  without  seriously  affecting  the  forces  needed  for 
the  defense  of  other  portions  of  the  Empire.  England,  as  one  of 
the  great  powers  of  the  world,  if  not  the  greatest,  occupies  a  posi- 
tion where  jealousy  and  hatred  would  pour  out  wrath  upon  her  if 

(3n7) 


398  THE  8T0KY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

other  nations  dared  to  undertake  the  contest.  These  nations  are 
only  withh(^ld  by  the  evidence  of  England's  forces,  and  to  with- 
draw the  military  symbol  of  her  great  reserve  power,  from  her  far 
distant  possessions,  is  only  to  give  confidence  to  the  tentative  enemy. 

The  population  of  the  South  African  Republic  is  stated  to  be 
barely  a  quarter  of  a  million;  that  of  the  Orange  Free  State  about 
two  hundred  thousand.  While  no  exact  figures  have  been  given 
out  as  to  the  military  strength  of  the  Boers,  it  is  thought  that  if 
they  put  an  army  of  thirty-five  thousand  men  in  the  field  that  thi^ 
would  represent  the  maximum  of  their  strength.  There  might  be 
an  accretion  to  this  number  by  disaffection  among  the  Boers  in 
Cape  Colony  and  Natal.  The  latter  are  bound  by  ties  of  blood  to 
their  struggling  brothers  of  the  Transvaal  and  the  Orange  Free 
State,  and,  if  not  an  openly  expressed  hope,  it  has  been  the  dream 
and  the  ardent  desire  of  every  Boer  in  South  Africa,  whether  a 
subject  of  England  or  a  citizen  of  the  Republics,  to  eventually  form 
a  great  Dutch  republic  in  South  Africa  in  which  there  will  be  no 
English  control,  interference  or  domination. 

The  Boers  gather  strength  from  their  innate  hatred  of  the 
English,  and  from  their  belief  that  they  can  make  a  triumph  for 
Great  Britain  so  costly  that  that  country  will  be  unwilling  to  pay 
the  price.  In  other  words,  the  Boers  hope  that  the  expenditure  of 
treasure  and  lives  by  England  necessary  to  conquer  them,  will 
compel  that  country  to  halt  and  make  terms,  as  she  did  at  Majuba 
Hill.  That  there  is  some  sound  philosophy  in  this  Boer  way  of 
thinking  is  proven  by  the  experience  of  the  North  in  the  war  of 
the  rebellion.  The  greatest  danger  that  threatened  the  Noi*th  was 
not  when  the  advantages  were  with  the  confederates.  The  great 
danger  came   after  the  tremendous   Union   victories  at   Yicksburg 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  399 

and  Gettysburg.  The  former  was  decisive  and  was  really  the 
deathblow  of  the  Confederacy,  but  a  year  later,  when  a  greenback 
dollar  was  worth  only  about  thirty  cents  and  wholesale  drafting 
was  necessary  to  fill  the  depleted  ranks,  tens  of  thousands  of  brave 
men  lying  dead  in  the  graves  of  Southern  battlefields,  the  people 
began  to  ask  one  another  the  ominous  question: 

"Are  we  not  paying  too  high  a  price  for  the  Union?  Have 
we  not  shed  enough  blood?  Is  it  not  time  to  give  up  the  struggle 
in  which  our  losses  are  so  appalling  and  which  have  cast  a  shadow 
over  thousands  of  hearts  and  homes?" 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1864  that  the  *'dead  point"  iu  the 
war  for  the  Union  was  reached  by  the  national  government  and 
when  thoughtful  men  saw  that  unless  the  rebellion  was  subdued 
within  the  following  twelve  months  it  would  never  be  subdued  at 
all.    Thank  God  it  was  suppressed  and  the  Union  restored. 

Some  such  hope  as  this  has  inspired  the  Boers  and  the  mutual 
jealousy  of  Germany,  France  and  Russia,  whom  the  Boers  have 
vaguely  hoped  might  find  an  excuse  for  intervention,  has  worked 
to  give  them  greater  courage. 

But  more  inspiring  than  these  motives  has  been  the  child- 
like faith  and  fanatical  patriotism  of  the  Boers.  After  their 
wonderful  charge  up  Majuba  hill  in  the  previous  war,  General 
Joubert  was  complimented  on  the  brilliant  exploit.  His  simple 
reply  was: 

"It  was  God  who  did  it,  not  we." 

The  Boer  leaders  are  not  only  hard  fighters,  but  strategists 
possessed  of  great  military  ability.  They  had  the  best  of  modern 
weapons  and  the  vast  advantage  of  having  their  whole  strength  in 
hand  and  at  immediate   command,  while   Great   Britain's  force   in 


m)  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  country  was  so  slight  that  it  required  weeks  to  transport  suf- 
ficient troops  to  warrant  her  in  taking  the  aggressive. 

At  the  initiative,  therefore,  the  Boers  had  the  most  powerful 
force  on  the  scene  and  it  was  only  in  the  natural  order  of  events 
that  the  war  should  open  with  a  vigor  on  their  part  which  gave 
them  a  distinct  advantage,  though  some  of  their  successes  were 
deeply  humiliating  to  England. 

The  embodiment  of  the  militia  and  the  calling  out  of  the 
militia  reserves  in  Great  Britain  added  more  than  fifty  per  cent, 
to  the  military  resources  of  the  kingdom  and  placed  her  on  a  footing 
which  she  has  not  held  since  the  war  against  Napoleon  when  she 
had  at  one  time  under  her  colors  more  than  600,000  men.  Accord- 
ing to  official  reports  filed  in  the  War  Department  in  Washington 
the  active  army  of  Great  Britain  in  1895  consisted  of  219,000  officers 
and  men,  of  whom  about  a  third  were  serving  in  India,  while 
90,000  were  retained  in  the  British  Isles,  including  the  Channel 
Islands,  the  rest  being  distributed  among  the  colonies  and  the 
military  stations  scattered  over  the  world. 

When  the  army  corps  and  the  25,000  reserves  of  the  English 
regular  army,  which  were  called  out  should  reach  the  Cape,  they, 
with  the  contingent  already  there  and  the  Anglo-Indian  contingent 
expected  to  arrive,  w^ould  give  Sir  Redvers  BuUer  a  force  almost 
double  that  under  the  Boer  commanders.  But  he,  too,  was  threat- 
ened by  the  necessity  of  detaching  a  considerable  part  of  his  army 
for  garrison  and  police  duty  in  the  Cape  Colony  with  a  still  graver 
peril  threatening  in  the  event  of  an  uprising  among  the  Afrikanders 
of  that  colony,  who  number  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  million.  No 
doubt  the  embodiment  of  the  militia  and  the  calling  out  of  the 
militia  reserves  in  the   United   Kingdom   was,  to   some   extent,  a 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  401 

precaution  against  this  contingency.  It  might  be  supposed  by  some 
that  the  measure  was  intended  as  a  warning  to  the  other  European 
powers  not  to  interfere  in  the  quarrel. 

It  will  be  understood,  therefore,  how  it  was  that  the  Boers,  by 
striking  quick  and  hard,  gained  more  than  one  striking  advantage 
at  the  start.  It  was  generally  expected  about  the  middle  of  October, 
that  a  battle  would  be  fought  to  the  westward  of  Ladysmith,  but, 
for  a  time,  the  operations  were  confined  to  outpost  skirmishing, 
both  armies  acting  with  great  caution.  A  dispatch,  dated  at  Lady- 
smith  on  the  19th,  was  to  the  effect  that  the  Boers  had  captured 
a  train  conveying  several  oflBcers  and  a  number  of  soldiers  and 
civilians  to  Glencoe.  They  compelled  another  train  to  stop,  and 
they  cut  the  telegraph  communication  between  Ladysmith  and 
Glencoe.    Matters  were  rapidly  approaching  a  crisis. 

About  this  time  a  noteworthy  incident  occurred  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  where,  during  a  debate,  Secretary  Chamberlain  in 
reply  to  charges,  hotly  denied  having  had  any  communication  with 
Cecil  Rhodes  at  the  time  of  the  Jameson  raid.  He  admitted  saying 
in  1896,  that  it  would  be  immoral  to  resort  to  war  in  order  to 
force  internal  reforms,  but,  considering  the  whole  later  history  of 
the  Transvaal  troubles,  he  had  come  to  the  belief  that  war  was 
always  inevitable.  He  accused  the  Pretoria  government  of  having 
aided  President  Steyn,  of  the  Orange  Free  State,  and  of  having, 
since  1881,  conspired  against  Great  Britain  as  the  paramount  power 
of  South  Africa. 

According  to  the  British  dispatches,  which,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, were  censored,  the  first  serious  action  between  the  British 
and  the  Boers  was  fought  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
British  camp   at  Glencoe   on   the  20th,  and  resulted  in  a  defeat  of 


402  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  Boers.  Later,  dispatches  showed  that  the  Boers  devised  their 
attack  with  skill,  their  purpose  being  to  attack  Glencoe  by  three 
columns  simultaneously,  with  a  force  aggregating  9,000  men. 

The  first  column,  under  General  Erasmus,  left  the  large  Boer 
camp  on  the  Igagane  River  and  halted  at  Hattingspruit,  on  the 
main  road  between  Baunhausen  and  Glencoe.  The  second  and 
most  powerful  column,  commanded  by  Gen.  Lucas  Meyer,  made  a 
long  detour  and  took  up  a  position  on  Smith's  Hill,  commanding 
the  Glencoe  camp.  The  third  column,  consisting  mainly  of  Free 
State  burghers,  under  Commandant  Viljoen,  advanced  from  Wasch- 
bank  on  the  railway  south  of  Glencoe,  destroying  railway  and 
telegraphic  communication  between  Glencoe  and  Ladysmith. 

General  Joubert's  instructions  were  that  General  Erasmus 
should  lure  the  whole  British  force  on  the  northern  road  toward 
Hattingspruit,  and  while  it  was  engaged  in  the  easy  task  of 
destroying  General  Erasmus'  forces,  Viljoen  and  Meyer  were  to 
attack  its  flank  and  rear  and  annihilate  it.  General  Symons,  the 
British  commander,  penetrated  this  design  and  governed  himself 
accordingly,  but  the  plan  of  the  Boers  failed.  They  lost  telegraphic 
touch  between  the  three  columns,  which,  therefore,  advanced  dis- 
jointedly,  and  General  Meyer  opened  the  battle  before  the  column 
from  Hattingspruit  was  within  striking  distance,  while  Commandant 
Viljoen  was  still  further  south.  Thus  Meyer,  with  only  4,000  men, 
was  compelled  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  battle. 

Only  one-half  of  General  Symons'  force  of  4,000,  attacked 
the  hill,  the  remainder  being  held  in  position  behind  the  camp 
watching  events.  When  the  fighting  had  continued  for  two  hours 
and  a  half,  advance  detachments  of  the  Hattingspruit  column  were 
discovered  lining  the  hill  to  the  west  of  the  camp.      A   battery 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  403 

behind  the  British  camp  opened  fire  with  such  effect  that  the  Boers 
were  scattered.  Thus  the  Hattingspruit  column  was  kept  out  of 
the  action,  except  as  it  was  fired  upon  by  the  artillery,  and  later, 
when  it  came  in  contact  with  the  hussars  and  mounted  infantry, 
who  were  pursuing  General  Myer's  column  as  it  retreated  from 
the  hill. 

The  first  incident  of  the  battle  occurred  at  earliest  daybreak, 
when  the  pickets  exchanged  a  few  shots  two  miles  outside  the 
camp.  At  half-past  five,  the  Boers  fired  the  opening  shot  from  a 
battery  on  the  hill.  It  dropped  in  Dundee  but  did  no  damage.  A 
few^  minutes  later,  all  the  Boer  guns  were  at  work,  shell  after  shell 
falling  into  the  camp  and  town.  Although  the  range  was  good, 
hardly  a  shell  burst.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  the  British  replied, 
all  their  shells  exploding  and  working  great  havoc.  The  range  at 
first  was  5,000  yards  and  the  British  guns  were  fired  with  wonderful 
accuracy,  many  of  the  shells  landing  and  bursting  on  the  exact  spot. 
At  the  end  of  half  an  hour,  the  Boer  guns  were  silenced,  though 
many  of  the  men  remained  to  protect  the  probable  line  of  assault. 

Then  General  Symons  ordered  the  infantry  to  advance.  The 
King's  Royal  Rifles  and  the  Dublin  Fusileers  were  at  the  front. 
They  covered  two  miles  of  broken  ground,  during  which  there  was 
a  strange  lull  in  the  battle.  Resting  for  a  few  minutes,  they  began 
the  ascent,  while  the  batteries  moved  to  new  positions  and  again 
took  up  the  fight.  The  bombardment  was  severe  and  was  main- 
tained for  an  hour,  notwithstanding  which  the  Boers  kept  up  a 
brisk  fire  from  their  Maxims,  but  were  driven  out  and  compelled 
to  retreat  before  the  spirited  charge  of  their  enemy. 

By  examining  the  map,  it  will  be  observed  that  Glencoe  is  on 
a  line  of  railway  running  from  Laing's  Neck  to  Ladysmith  and  so 


404  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

on  to  Durban,  the  principal  port  of  Natal.  Olencoe  is  about  forty 
miles  north  of  Ladysmith  and  a  branch  line  of  railway  runs  from 
Glencoe  to  Dundee,  twenty  miles  distant.  The  location  is,  there- 
fore, of  considerable  strategic  importance. 

Thp  news  of  the  battle  was  received  in  England  as  a  victory, 
but  as  the  particulars  filtered  in,  it  became  evident  that  it  was  one 
of  those  victories  that  are  as  expensive  to  the  winners  as  to  the 
defeated.  The  Boers,  owing  to  their  inferiority  of  numbers,  were 
obliged  to  retire,  but  the  British  suffered  so  severely  that  on  the 
approach  of  the  main  body  of  the  army  under  General  Joubert, 
they  abandoned  their  position  and  General  Yule  and  his  men 
marched  to  Ladysmith.  It  appeared  that  the  British  left  their  sick 
and  wounded  to  the  generosity  of  the  Boers,  not  being  able  to 
effect  the  retreat  hampered  by  their  care.  Among  the  mortally 
wounded  was  General  Symons,  who  died  on  October  25,  and  was 
buried  the  following  day  close  to  the  English  church  at  Dundee. 
Commandant-General  Joubert  immediately  notified  General  White 
of  the  sad  event,  and  sent  a  message  of  sympathy  to  Lady  Symons. 

Gen.  Sir  William  Penn  Symons,  K.  C.  B.,  was  born  in  Cornwall 
in  1843,  entering  the  army  in  1863  and  becoming  a  colonel  in  1887. 
He  served  in  the  Zulu  war  in  1879  and  for  his  gallantry  received  a 
medal  and  clasp.  Later  he  saw  service  in  Burmah  and  India  and 
won  another  medal  and  clasp.  In  1898,  he  commanded  the  Sirhind 
district,  Punjaub,  India. 

The  battle  of  Glencoe  was  a  fine  exhibition  of  British  gen- 
eralship and  superb  courage,  but  all  it  accomplished  was  to  save 
General  Yule's  force  from  annihilation  or  capture,  and  to  permit  it 
to  retreat  by  forced  marches  to  the  main  army  at  Ladysmith,  where 
it  arrived  completely  fagged  out. 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  405 

Thirty  men  of  the  Eighteenth  Hussars  attempted  on  Sunday, 
the  22d,  to  cut  off  the  Boers  who  had  been  routed  at  Elandslaagte, 
but  were  themselves  cut  off,  captured  and  taken  prisoners  to 
Pretoria.  They  receiv^ed  courteous  treatment,  and  when  they  left 
the  train  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  crowd,  no  demonstration 
was  made  against  them. 

At  this  time  there  were  rumors  in  different  quarters  of  armed 
European  intervention.  M.  Jules  Cambon,  the  French  Ambassador, 
was  ordered  by  his  government  to  return  to  Washington,  in  con- 
sequence of  developments  connected  with  the  Transvaal  \rar.  This, 
it  was  said,  was  done  on  the  representations  made  to  the  French 
Cabinet  to  have  some  one  at  our  capital  who  was  persona  grata  to 
President  McKinley  during  the  sensitive  times.  The  belief  in  Paris 
was  that  the  real  difficulties  would  begin  when  the  Boers  were 
beaten,  since  all  the  powers  fully  understand  the  law  of  compensa- 
tions as  taught  by  Great  Britain,  a  master  of  the  art. 

The  members  of  the  European  embassies  and  legations  in 
Washington,  sounded  one  another  to  learn  what  warrant  there 
was  for  the  reports  that  a  movement  was  on  foot  to  form  a  con- 
tinental coalition  to  mediate  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
Transvaal.  So  far  as  known  there  was  no  official  warrant  at  all 
to  confirm  these  rumors.  No  approach  was  made  to  the  United 
States  to  act  in  the  matter,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  simple 
gratitude  to  Great  Britain  for  her  course  in  our  war  with  Spain, 
would  prevent  our  government  taking  any  steps  that  could  be 
deemed  in  the  slightest  degree  unfriendly  toward  her. 

The  chief  interest  in  the  military  situation  now  centered  on 
Ladysmith,  which  had  become  the  real  head  of  the  British  occupa- 
tion of  Natal,  north  of  the  Tugela  River.    The  momentous  question 


406  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

was  wliet.her  General  White  would  be  compelled  to  evacuate  this 
position,  as  Dundee  had  been  evacuated  by  General  Yule,  or 
whether  he  could  hold  out  against  the  Boers  until  reinforcements 
reached  him.  The  anxiety  shown  by  Sir  George  White  to  keep 
his  right  flank  clear,  proved  that  he  feared  a  turning  movement 
in  that  direction. 

Meanwhile,  there  was  stirring  news  from  Mafeking,  over  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Republic.  The  Boers  opened  a  bombardment, 
without  decisive  results,  and  continued  to  close  in  around  Kim- 
berley,  for  whose  safety  much  anxiety  was  felt. 

A  brief  lull  followed,  though  there  were  a  number  of  minor 
skirmishes,  in  which  marked  bravery  was  displayed  by  both  sides, 
even  though  nothing  important  was  accomplished.  Lord  Rosebery 
made  an  important  speech  at  Bath,  in  the  course  of  which  he  said: 

"Our  minds  are  turned  to  the  southern  continent,  where  so 
much  of  the  best  blood  of  England  is  being  shed.  My  advice  is  to 
trust  the  men  at  the  helm  when  we  are  passing  through  a  storm. 
It  was  well  to  present  a  united  front  to  the  enemy.  It  would  be 
time  enough  when  the  war  was  over,  to  examine  any  questions  of 
liability.  All  such  questions  had  been  wiped  out  by  the  ultimatum 
of  the  Boers." 

In  his  opinion  the  Transvaal  question  was  not  a  very  compli- 
cated one;  it  was  the  effort  of  a  community  to  put  back  the  clock. 
He  recommended  that  the  people  of  this  country  should  take 
Chatham's  advice:  "Be  one  people;  forget  everything  for  the 
public."    This  was  no  little  war,  but  as  Shakespeare  said: 

**  Naught  shall  make  us  rue, 

If  England  to  herself  remain  but  true." 

In  his  speech.  Lord  Rosebery  made  one  significant  reference  to 


CHARGE  OF  THE  GUARDS  AT  BELMONT. 


THE  LIGHT  SIDE  OF  WARFARE-DRAWING  THE  ENEMY'S  FIRE. 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  409 

Europe's  attitude  toward  Great  Britain.  He  said  he  would  not  say, 
for  he  did  not  know,  that  the  governments  of  Europe  were 
unfriendly  to  England,  but  it  was  unquestionable  that  the  press  of 
European  countries  and  public  opinion,  so  far  as  the  press  repre- 
sents it,  were  almost  uniformly  hostile.     He  added: 

"Depend  upon  it,  there  are  nations  in  Europe  who  are  watch- 
ing, with  an  eagerness  which  should  give  you  cause  to  reflect,  for 
every  trip  and  stumble,  much  more,  for  every  disaster,  that  may 
overtake  the  British  arms,  and  when  that  is  the  condition  of  things,  a 
war  waged  under  such  circumstances,  is  not  a  little  war.  We  have  so 
much  on  our  shoulders,  such  heavy  work  to  do,  so  much  sail  to  carry, 
that  we  cannot,  at  this  critical  juncture,  afford  to  waste  time  in 
polemical  discussions.  I  know  that  this  is  unpopular  doctrine,  but  it 
would  be  improper  to  admit  mentioning  it." 

No  matter  in  what  sort  of  war  a  nation  is  engaged,  it  is  always 
ready  to  appeal  to  heaven  for  success,  with  the  assumption  that  its 
cause  is  so  righteous  a  one  that  there  is  no  doubt  of  Divine  favor.  It 
was  the  great  and  good  President  Lincoln,  w4io,  in  reply  to  the 
question  whether  he  believed  the  Lord  was  on  his  side,  said  his  chief 
anxiety  was  to  make  sure  that  he  was  on  the  Lord's  side. 

In  her  speech  to  the  House  of  Commons  on  October  27th, 
Queen  Victoria  said: 

"  I  am  happy  to  release  you  fi-om  the  exceptional  duties 
imposed  upon  you  by  the  exigencies  of  the  public  service. 

"I  congratulate  you  on  the  brilliant  qualities  displayed  by  the 
brave  regiments  upon  whom  the  task  of  repelling  the  invasion  of 
my  South  African  colonies  has  been  laid.  In  doing  so  I  cannot 
but  express  profound  sorrow  that  so  many  gallant  officers  and 
soldiers  should  have  fallen  in  the  performance  of  their  duty. 

22 


no  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"  r  iicknowledge  gratefully  the  liberal  provision  made  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  the  military  operations.  I  trust  the  Divine  blessing 
may  rest  on  your  effort  and  that  of  the  gallant  army  to  restore 
peace  and  good  government  to  that  portion  of  my  empire,  and 
vindicate  the  honor  of  this  country." 

Sir  George  White  in  command   at  Ladysmith  showed  that  he 
expected  serious  work,  for  he  brought   up   all  the  available  troo}) 
at  Pietermaritzburg  and  had  all  his  artillery  with  him.     The  repor^ 
from    Cape    Town    and     Lorenzo    Marquez    made   it    look    doubtfu 
whether  the  Boer  army  was  able  to  undertake  any  offensive  opera- 
tions   against   the    entrenched   camp    at    Ladysmith ;    but    it   was 
necessary  for  their  leaders  to  make  an  effort  to  clear  the  country 
between  the  Drakenberg  Mountains   and   the   Tugela    River  before 
reinforcements  could  arrive  from  England,  in  order  that  a  success- 
ful  resistance  could  be   offered   to  the  advance,   sure   to   be  made 
later  on. 

The  difficulty  in  the  matter  of  transport  under  which  Great 
Britain  labored  would  soon  be  remedied,  for  large  numbers  of 
mules,  purchased  in  Italy  and  elsewhere,  were  on  their  way  to 
Durban.  Many  of  those  animals  were  also  bought  in  the  United 
States  by  agents  of  Great  Britain.  If  the  Boers  failed  in  their 
attack  upon  Ladysmith  or  in  the  attempt  to  turn  the  English  posi- 
tion, they  would  be  obliged  to  fall  back  to  their  first  lines  of  defense 
in  the  Drakenberg,  and  in  the  triangle  holding  the  battlefields  of 
the  previous  war. 

As  the  cold  facts  of  the  military  operations  became  clear  to  the 
minds  of  the  Englishmen  at  home,  they  determined  to  "  put  the 
business  through"  no  matter  at  what  cost.  While  it  was  undoubt- 
edly   true    that  no  power  or   group    of    powers   had    agreed   upon 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  411 

intervention,  Lord  Rosebery  was  undoubtedly  right  when  he  said 
such  intervention  was  likely  to  follow  upon  any  grave  disaster 
to  British  arms.  The  importance,  therefore,  of  extreme  care  in  the 
conduct  of  the  campaign  in  the  Transvaal  was  self-evident.  To 
take  risks  was  criminal  when  the  consequences  of  defeat  were 
likely  to  be  far-reaching  and  tremendous  in  their  importance.  The 
plan  was  for  the  British  forces  to  remain  substantially  on  the 
defensive  until  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  that  would  make  them 
resistless. 

It  was  natural  that  Holland  should  feel  an  active  sympathy 
for  the  Boers.  This  was  shown  by  her  raising  funds  for  them,  by 
the  dispatch  secretly  of  supplies,  and  finally  authentic  word  came 
to  England  that  a  corps,  numbering  a  thousand  men,  had  been 
secretly  raised  in  Holland  to  help  the  Boers  in  the  war.  The 
money  required  for  equipment  and  transport  was  furuishsd  by 
wealthy  Amsterdam  merchants.  Since  this  proceeding  was  a  viola- 
tion of  international  law,  great  caution  was  necessary,  but  the 
Dutchmen  proved  themselves  equal  to  the  demands  of  the  occasion. 
The  men  left  home  in  small  detachments,  the  rendezvous  being  at 
Koomati  Poort,  on  the  Transvaal-Portuguese  frontier,  where  the 
commandant  had  been  informed  what  to  do  with  them.  They 
traveled  as  returning  Transvaal  citizens,  an  artifice  wiiich  prevented 
the  Portuguese  authorities  from  interfering  with  them.  The  only 
active  sympathizers,  in  addition  to  those  mentioned,  were  a  number 
of  German  officers  on  the  retired  list,  who  made  their  way  to  the 
Transvaal,  under  an  arrangement  to  provide  their  own  transportation 
to  Koomati  Poort,  their  pay  dating  from  the  time  they  entered  the 
actual  service  of  the  Republic.  These  officers  acted  from  mere 
professional  motives,  for  in  all  wars  tliere   are  plenty  of  men  who 


IIJ  THE  STOHY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

enlist  throu^^li  a  longing  for  excitement  and  the  desire  to  add  to 
their  modest  stipend. 

Considerable  criticism  was  made  upon  the  Boer  hospital  service, 
but  this  was  unjust,  since  the  same  could  have  been  made  upon 
the  British  service  at  Glencoe,  where  both  were  so  overtaxed  by  the 
results  of  the  first  hght  that  many  poor  fellows  lay  all  night  in 
the  rain  before  attention  could  be  given  to  them.  The  Transvaal 
luul  the  Red  Cross  Society  and  the  St.  John's  Ambulance  Society 
as  helpers  to  the  regular  military  corps.  The  hurry  of  the  hostili- 
ties prevented  as  perfect  an  organization  as  would  have  been  the 
case  had  more  time  been  at  command.  When  war  broke  out,  sev- 
eral railway  trains  were  fitted  with  swinging  beds  and  all  the 
modern  conveniences  were  called  into  use  to  alleviate  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  wounded.  A  field  hospital  was  attached  to  every  com- 
mando and  the  hospital  headquarters  fixed  at  Pretoria,  whither  all 
the  wounded  burgers  within  reach  of  the  railw^ay  were  sent  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment.  Also,  everything  was  done  to  provide 
nurses,  while  a  general  movement  for  the  aid  of  the  British 
Avounded  took  place  in  London,  many  titled  men  and  women  con- 
tributing generously  to  the  merciful  enterprise. 

As  full  accounts  of  the  retreat  of  General  Yule  from  Dundee 
reached  England,  it  looked  as  if  the  Boers  had  lost  one  of  the  best 
chances  that  the  campaign  was  likely  to  offer  them.  Sir  General 
White  at  Lady  smith  had  not  sufficient  troops  to  detach  a  strong 
enough  force  toward  Glencoe  to  create  a  div^ersion  in  favor  of 
General  Yule,  who  was  making  desperate  efforts  to  reach  him.  Had 
the  Free  State  burghers  made  a  prompt  advance  from  Besters  on 
the  Van  Reenen's  Pass  road,  they  would  have  placed  Yule  in  the 
most  critical  situation  possible,  and  with  the  Boers  alert  at  Dundee 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  413 

in  following  up  the  retreating  British  with  a  mounted  force  with 
light  artillery,  they  could  have  retarded  the  retreat  suflScieutly  to 
allow  a  good  part  of  their  main  body  to  come  up  and  compel  Yule 
to  fight  a  rear-guard  action,  with  defeat  and  irretrievable  disaster 
before  him.  It  was  a  grand  opportunity,  which  the  Boers  let  slip, 
leaving  them  to  solve  the  formidable  problem  of  how  to  drive  the 
British  across  the  Tugela  before  their  reinforcements  could  arrive. 

The  force  under  Sir  George  White  at  Lady  smith  was  given  as 
about  20,000,  which,  it  would  seem,  was  sufScient  to  enable  him  to 
hold  his  position  against  any  troops  his  enemy  could  bring  against 
him.  But  all  England  was  startled  and  shocked  on  the  last  day  of 
October,  when  a  dispatch  from  Ladysmith  was  received  announcing 
a  disaster  to  British  arms  in  front  of  that  town.  This  involved  the 
capture  of  two  regiments  and  a  battery,  after  great  slaughter.  It 
marked  the  third  successful  attempt  by  the  Boers  to  deceive  the 
British  officers  by  pretending  to  retreat  and  then  deliver  a  blow 
that  turned  a  seeming  victory  into  a  disastrous  rout.  The  follow 
ing  is  the  dispatch  of  General  White  dated  at  11:35  P.  M.: 

"I  have  to  report  disaster  to  the  column  sent  by  me  to  take 
position  on  a  hill  and  guard  our  left  flank.  The  troops  in  these 
operations  to-day  —  the  Royal  Irish  Fusiliers,  No.  10  Mountain 
Battery  and  the  Gloucestershire  Regiment — had  to  capitulate.  The 
casualties  have  not  yet  been  ascertained. 

"A  man  belonging  to  the  Irish  Fusiliers  and  employed  as  a 
hospital  orderly,  came  in  under  a  flag  of  truce  with  a  letter  from 
the  survivors,  who  asked  assistance  to  bury  their  dead.  I  fear  there 
is  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  the  report. 

"I  formed  the  plan,  in  the  carrying  out  of  which  the  disaster 
occurred,  and   am   alone  responsible  for  that  plan.     No  blame  can 


Ill  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

be  attached  to  the  troops,  as  the  position  was  untenable.  The  list 
included  forty-two  officers,  one  newspaper  man  and  two  battalions 
of  troops." 

It  was  given  out  that  among  the  prisoners  captured  were  a 
staff-major,  a  lieutenant-colonel,  six  majors,  five  captains,  twenty- 
nine  lieutenants,  a  chaplain  and  a  newspaper  correspondent.  The 
number  2,000  was  first  announced  as  the  total  of  prisoners,  but  this 
was  considerably  reduced  in  the  accounts  afterward  received. 

That  General  White  had  committed  a  serious  error  of  judgment 
his  best  friends  could  not  deny;  but  his  manly  avowal  disarmed 
harsh  criticism,  while  the  most  experienced  officers  truly  said  that  no 
one  not  on  the  ground,  or  fully  acquainted  with  the  particulars, 
was  competent  to  make  up  an  intelligent  judgment.  The  best 
exponents  of  public  feeling  at  such  times  are  the  leading  news- 
papers, who  naturally  were  outspoken  in  expressing  their  sentiments. 

Tlie  Standard  said:  "It  cannot  be  doubted  that  a  grave  error 
was  made,  nor  is  military  knowledge  needed  to  recognize  the 
character  of  the  blunder.  The  position  in  which  the  lost  battalions 
were  posted  was  radically  vicious,  and  precautions  to  cover  their 
retreat  were  not  taken.  Moreover,  they  were  not  kept  in  touch 
with  the  column.  General  White  is  now  on  the  horns  of  a 
dilemma.  If  he  retires  down  the  railway  he  will  have  to  abandon 
his  wounded  and  his  stores.  If  he  stays  in  Ladysmith  the  road 
will  be  cut,  if  it  is  not  cut  already,  and  he  will  be  isolated." 

The  News  said  that  Lord  Rosebery's  remark  that  the  war  would 
not  be  a  small  one,  will  now  be  made  more  than  ever  good.  The 
capture  of  the  battalions  will  undoubtedly  tend  to  prolong  the 
struggle,  by  raising  the  spirits  and  encouraging  the  hopes  of  the 
enemy   who,  in  any  case,  are  sure  to  be  resolute  and  courageous, 


THE  CONTESTANTS  AND  FIRST  BLOWS  415 

and  who  are  already  able,  with  much  justice,  to  point  to  very  con- 
siderable success.  The  reverse,  the  paper  adds,  will  only  increase 
the  determination  of  the  British  to  see  the  war  through  to  the 
necessary  and  inevitable  end. 

The  Morning  Post  said:  "The  lesson  has  been  severe,  but  we 
hope  we  have  learned  it.  It  is  humiliating  to  find  a  nation  of 
farmers  beating  soldiers  at  their  own  game,  but  the  sooner  proper 
respect  is  had  for  Boer  strategy  and  Boer  tactics  the  better  for  our 
fortunes  in  Natal.  We  insist  that  there  is  need  for  caution  in 
fighting  a  people  who  have  a  natural  aptitude  for  deception,  and 
who  are  quite  fearless  in  war.  That  caution,  no  doubt,  seems  to 
the  professional  fighter  as  somewhat  beneath  his  dignity  when  he 
is  arrayed  against  a  seedy  old  gentleman  in  a  billycock  hat  and 
muffler,  but  that  caution  must  be  learned,  and  that  soon." 

The  Post  would  not  believe  that  the  troops  capitulated. 
"Capitulation,"  it  said,  "is  a  word  of  shame.  Troops  in  the  field 
cannot  capitulate  without  disgrace.  We  assume,  until  better 
informed,  that  the  column  fought  until  it  was  cut  to  pieces,  and 
its  ammunition  gone;  that  the  ground  rendered  the  use  of  the 
bayonet  impossible,  and  when  their  officers  were  struck  down  the 
remnant  of  the  men  surrendered.  If  this  is  not  the  case,  then 
October  30  will  be  a  day  of  indelible  disgrace." 

The  Chronicle  declared  that  the  repulse  was  comparable  only 
to  the  repulse  of  Burgoyne,  which  w^as  traveling  backward  a  long 
way  to  find  a  parallel.     It  added: 

"For  the  present  there  can  be  but  one  voice  in  the  country. 
We  have  been  told  that  this  is  a  war  for  British  supremacy  in 
South  Africa,  and  we  cannot  doubt  that  that  supremacy  is  now 
threatened.     The  conflict  will  therefore  inevitably  continue  until  it 


410  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

places  the  empire  in  a  position  to  dictate  the  terms  of  settlement. 
The  trial  which  is  now  upon  us  will,  we  hope,  strike  a  sober, 
serious  cord  of  the  country's  heart.  An  ignoble  mood  had  grown 
out  of  our  prosperity,  fed  by  a  press  which  has  much  to  answer 
for  when  the  account  of  these  latter  days  is  made  up.  If  the 
present  catastrophe  calls  forth  something  better  than  music-hall 
patriotism  we  may  come  to  reckon  it  as  a  timely  lesson,  well 
learned  for  our  soul's  good." 


CHAPTER  XXI 


DOUBTFUL   AND   CERTAIN    ALLIES 


The  Basutos  are  in  some  respects  the  most  remarkable  tribe  of 
natives  in  South  Africa.  They  have  been  so  pofent  a  factor  in  the 
development  of  that  section,  that  they  deserve  a  more  particular 
notice  than  has  as  yet  been  given  them,  especially  since  they  are 
destined  to  play  an  equally  important  part  in  the  future  history  of 
that  portion  of  the  Dark  Continent. 

The  seriousness  of  the  problem  which  they  present  appears  in 
the  fact  that  they  are  brave  and  prosperous,  with  an  army  of  30,000 
warriors,  which  includes  excellent  cavalry.  The  tribe  occupy  a  rocky 
section  bounded  by  Natal,  Cape  Colony  and  the  Orange  Free  State, 
containing  10,293  square  miles,  and  often  referred  to  as  the  Switzer- 
land of  South  Africa,  for  the  mountainous  section  is  crossed  by  valleys 
of  extraordinary  fertility. 

In  some  respects,  Basutoland  resembles  the  Indian  reservations 
of  our  own  country,  since  the  only  white  men  allowed  to  live  there 
are  missionaries,  government  officials  and  a  few  traders.  The  whole 
European  population  is  only  600,  while  the  natives  number  200,000. 
It  is  a  British  crown  colony  and  has  home  rule,  with  such  modified 
native  laws  as  are  deemed  necessary  and  for  the  best  interests  of  all 
concerned. 

No  native  tribe  is  more  highly  civilized  than  the  Basutos,  who 
are  of  mixed  stock  and  with  better  features  than  the  Kaffirs.  Mis- 
sionaries have  always  been  welcomed  among  tliem  and  the  religion  of 
the  people  is  a  Calvinistic  Protestant  faith.     They  have  had  the  Bible 

(417) 


41S  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

translated  into  tboir  language,  have  numerous  churches  and  schools, 
have  comfortable  brick  homes,  excellent  roads,  and  speak  English 
and  Diitcb  fluently.  In  contrast  to  the  native  African,  they  are 
industrious  and  enterprising,  raise  thousands  of  sheep  and  cattle, 
and  the  fertile  valleys  produce  abundant  crops  of  the  finest  wheat 
and  Indian  corn.  Coal  is  mined  in  the  mountains,  they  cultivate 
wool,  and  when  political  matters  are  quiet,  send  a  million  dollars 
worth  of  products  annually  to  Cape  Colony. 

It  has  been  said  that  their  army  numbers  30,000  warriors,  but 
with  scarcely  an  effort  double  that  number  could  be  put  into  the 
field.  Though  the  disarmament  has  been  general,  half  of  these 
men  would  be  furnished  with  rifles,  the  rest  using  battle  axes  and 
assegais.  From  their  earliest  history,  they  have  fought  on  horse- 
back. Naturally  they  are  excellent  horsemen,  and  their  fine  cavalry 
is  the  distinguishing  feature  of  their  army. 

The  chief  of  the  Basutos  is  Lerothodi,  who  has  won  that  dis- 
tinction by  his  bravery,  ability  and  skill  as  a  warrior.  He  makes 
his  home  in  a  large  mountain  cave,  whose  walls  are  adorned  with 
pictures  of  battle  scenes  in  which  his  countrymen  are  depicted  as 
the  invariable  victors.  There  are  scores  of  caves  in  the  mountains 
which  are  turned  to  account  as  forts,  armories,  and  places  of  con- 
cealment. In  the  event  of  a  Basuto  uprising,  it  would  take  an 
army  of  a  hundred  thousand  men  to  subdue  them,  and  then  the 
task  would  be  of  the  most  diflBcult,  if  not  impossible  nature.  As 
evidence  of  this,  it  may  be  stated  that  their  capital,  Thaba  Bosigo, 
is  so  powerful  a  mountain  stronghold,  that  though  it  has  been 
repeatedly  attacked,  it  has  never  been  taken. 

Naturally  a  comparison  is  suggested  between  the  Basutos  and 
the  Zulus.     The  two  have  been  called  the  Normans  of  the  South, 


DOUBTFUL  AND  CERTAIN  ALLIES  419 

but  the  Zulus  are  treacherous,  as  fierce  as  tigers,  and,  in  furious 
daring,  far  surpass  the  Basutos,  but  the  latter  are  intelligent,  tact- 
ful, possessed  of  clever  diplomatic  powers,  and,  therefore,  the  most 
successful,  as  is  always  the  case  when  mentality  is  pitted  against 
barbarism. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  Basutos  arose  from  the  ruins  created 
by  the  ferocity  of  the  Zulus  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century!  They  depopulated  the  country  for  hundreds  of  square 
miles,  and,  from  the  scant  remnants  of  many  tribes,  have  descended 
the  Basutos,  who,  as  they  gradually  increased  in  number,  huddled 
together  and  chose  Moshesh,  a  humble  warrior,  as  their  ruler.  He 
proved  to  be  the  Washington  of  the  sorely  pressed  fugitives,  and 
by  his  wisdom  and  wonderful  ability,  organized,  trained  and  ruled 
them,  leading  the  afflicted  people  through  repeated  dangers,  and 
by  the  exercise  of  craft  and  cunning,  carried  them  far  along  the 
high  road  to  the  prosperity  which  they  enjoy  to-day.  His  memory 
will  always  be  held  in  loving  reverence  and  affection  in  Basiitoland, 

The  growth  of  the  Basutos  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  Zulus, 
who  made  many  raids  against  them,  but  the  subtlety  of  Moshesh 
was  more  than  a  match  for  the  subtlety  of  his  enemies.  Through 
an  admirable  system  of  spies,  he  was  always  warned  of  the 
approach  of  the  hostile  expeditions,  and  by  quick  retreat  into 
the  mountain  fastnesses  and  the  skillful  use  of  false  trails,  he 
lu'ought  tlie  schemes  of  the  Zulus  to  nauglit. 

Never  was  the  remarkable  diplomacy  of  j\Ioshesli  displayed 
more  successfully  than  in  1S31,  when  the  whole  Matabele  power 
was  arrayed  against  him.  He  and  his  people  withdrew  to  their 
mountain  home,  where  they  defeated  assault  after  assault  until  the 
besiegers  were  on  the  verge  of  starvation    and   gave   up  the  siege. 


420  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

It  was  then  that  Moshesli  sent  them  cattle,  presents  and  a  message 
proposing  that  they  should  be  friends.  Their  enemies  were  won 
over,  and  never  again  have  the  Matabeles  and  Basutos  been 
arrayed  against  each  other. 

The  policy  of  welcoming  all  fugitives  brought  excellent  results. 
The  infusion  of  new  blood  added  vigor  to  the  old.  The  physique  of 
the  Basutos  improved  and  they  grew  in  numbers  and  in  strength. 
When  missionaries  asked  permission  to  enter  the  territory,  Moshesh 
not  only  welcomed  them,  but  gave  them  homes  and  protected  them 
fi'om  molestation.  Gradually  his  tribe  was  won  over  to  a  nominal 
Christianity,  and  their  friendly  relations  with  the  white  men  added 
greatly  to  their  prestige  among  the  various  tribes.  It  was  inevita- 
ble that  the  history  of  the  Basutos  should  become  interwoven  with 
that  of  the  Boers.  Retreating  to  the  Orange  River,  the  Boers,  as 
will  be  remembered,  set  up  a  republican  form  of  government. 
Moshesh  and  his  people  formed  the  principal  native  state.  He  was 
given  sovereign  rights  over  the  tract  north  of  the  Orange  River 
occupied  by  the  Boers  and,  in  addition,  was  paid  a  subsidy  by  Oreat 
Britain. 

The  Boers  held  their  own  ground,  organized  their  own  govern- 
ment, and  grew  and  prospered.  The  next  step  of  Great  Britain  was 
to  annex  the  Orange  River  district,  including  the  Boers,  to  the 
British  dominions.  The  arrangement  suited  Moshesh  for  the  time, 
and,  in  the  fighting  that  followed  the  Boers  were  worsted,  where- 
upon they  treked  again  across  the  Vaal,  and  laid  the  foundations 
of  the  Transvaal  Republic  of  to-day.  Thus  the  Basutos  had  a 
prominent  part  in  the  formation  of  that  government. 

As  we  know,  the  Boers  were  not  followed,  but  Moshesh  soured 
over  the   taking  away  of  his   sovereignty   by   Great   Britain,  and, 


DOUBTFUL  AND  CERTAIN  ALLIES  421 

determined  to  win  it  back,  he  began  warring  against  the  neighbor- 
ing tribes.  Great  Britain  sent  a  force  to  compel  order,  which  was 
the  very  thing  for  which  the  shrewd  Moshesh  had  planned,  since 
it  ari-ayed  the  native  tribes,  and  the  few  Boer  farmers  who 
remained,  against  England.  The  Basutos  formed  a  coalition  with 
them,  and,  in  1852,  England  made  a  treaty  with  the  Boers  by 
which  their  independence  was  acknowledged.  Thus  was  the  real 
Transvaal  Republic  born,  and,  it  may  be  said,  the  Basutos  were 
its  father. 

Having  been  baffled  by  the  Boers,  the  British  now  turned  their 
attention  to  the  Basutos.  Moshesh  withdrew  to  his  impregnable 
mountain  stronghold,  but  left  a  large  drove  of  cattle  to  tempt  his 
enemies.  While  the  English  were  driving  off  the  immense  herd, 
they  walked  into  the  ambush  that  had  been  set  for  them,  and  a 
fierce  battle  ensued.  Afterward  Moshesh  cunningly  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  the  British  commander  humbly  begging  for  peace, 
declaring  that  they  had  been  severely  chastised  by  the  capture  of 
their  herds.  The  peace  for  which  the  chieftain  prayed  was  granted. 
It  was  clear  that  Moshesh  held  the  balance  of  power,  and,  in  1854, 
England  acknowledged  the  independence  of  the  Orange  Free  State, 
whose  existence,  therefore,  was  due  to  the  Basutos. 

Four  years  later  Moshesh,  like  many  another  tvise  man,  committed 
a  serious  blunder.  A  quarrel  arose  with  the  Boers  over  their  respective 
boundaries,  and  a  furious  war  followed.  The  Boers  won,  and  the 
Basutos  lost  a  large  area  of  their  finest  farm  land.  The  British 
helped  in  conquering  the  dusky  horsemen,  and  took  their  payment 
by  annexing  Basutoland,  whose  people,  therefore,  are  her  subjects 
to-day. 

Accurate   information  regarding  the  Boers   is   always    valuable 


422  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

and  interesting,  especially  when  it  is  impartial  and  conscientious. 
William  Maxwell,  of  the  London  Standard,  is  one  of  the  ablest  and 
most  truthful  of  writers  and  has  this  to  say  in  a  letter  to  his  paper: 

"Between  the  Boer  of  fiction  and  of  fact  there  is  no  affinity. 
They  differ  as  much  as  the  'noble  redman'  who  scalps  his  way 
through  the  pages  of  Fenimore  Cooper  differs  from  his  squalid, 
degenerate  son  in  the  native  reserve.  The  Boer  of  fiction  is  the 
chivalrous,  though  somewhat  sleepy,  gentleman  in  corduroy  —  a 
mountain  of  beef  and  bone,  given  to  solitary  musing,  and  to  the 
shooting  of  buck  or  'redcoats,'  whichever  happen  to  cross  his  path. 
Hunter  and  hermit,  patriot  and  philosopher,  is  the  mixture  out  of 
which  he  is  compounded.  The  Boer  of  fact  is  a  creature  of  another 
clay.  He  is  a  dull,  lumpish,  lazy  animal,  with  a  capacity  for 
ignorance,  superstition  and  tyranny  unsurpassed  by  any  white  race. 
His  good  qualities  —  for  he  has  redeeming  characteristics  —  appeal 
strongly  to  the  imagination.  He  clings  with  the  passionate  fervor 
of  a  Covenanter  to  the  simple  and  sublime  faith  of  the  literal 
teaching  of  the  Bible.  Love  of  independence  is  deep  rooted  in  his 
nature.  The  history  of  South  Africa  during  two  and  a  half  cen- 
turies is  full  of  examples  of  his  dogged  and  unconquerable  spirit. 
But  he  has  in  overpowering  degree  the  defects  of  these  qualities. 
His  piety  is  apt  to  degenerate  into  superstition  and  sanctimonious 
Phariseeism.  Love  of  independence  has  begot  in  him  hate  of  every- 
thing that  might  tend  to  disturb  his  reverence  for  the  past,  and 
suspicion  of  the  stranger  who  threatens  to  'tread  him  to  death,' 
in  the  solitude  of  the  veldt.  The  unconquerable  spirit  that  has 
made  him  one  of  the  boldest  pioneers  the  world  has  seen  has 
become  corrupted  into  obstinate  conceit. 

"The  absolute  seclusion   and  independence  of  the  pastoral  life 


DOUBTFUL  AND  CEiiTAIN  ALLIES  423 

of  the  Boer  farmer  are  accountable  for  his  ignorance.  His  educa- 
tion is  limited  to  six  months'  instruction  by  a  tutor,  who  visits 
the  farm  on  the  silent  veldt  as  soon  as  the  children  of  the  family 
are  grown  up.  P'ew  of  them  can  read,  and  still  fewer  are  able  to 
write.  Yet  the  Boer  will  tolerate  nothing  that  would  dispel  his 
ignorance  or  contradict  his  superstitions.  He  is  still  convinced  that 
the  sun  moves  round  the  earth,  and  that  the  earth  is  a  flat  and 
solid  substance,  resting  on  unseen  foundations.  'What  is  this  non- 
sense in  which  you  English  believe  about  the  earth  being  round?' 
asked  a  wealthy  Boer  who  is  a  member  of  the  Volksraad.  It  was 
vain  to  offer  Galileo's  explanation,  'I  have  seen  the  shadow  of  the 
earth  on  the  moon.'  The  familiar  proof  of  a  ship  on  the  horizon 
was  treated  with  derision.  '  Do  you  not  always  see  the  top  of  a 
thing  first?'  was  the  retort.  'No,'  said  my  friend,  the  Boer  legis- 
lator ;  *  I  can  believe  none  of  this  newfangled  nonsense.  Many  a 
time,  returning  to  my  home  on  the  veldt,  have  I  thought  over  these 
things.  I  have  watched  for  hours  in  the  moonlight  to  see  whether 
the  kopje  near  my  homestead  really  did  move,  but  it  is  always 
there  —  always  in  the  same  place.  And  as  for  the  sun,  did  not 
Joshua  bid  it  stand  still?'  Against  arguments  of  this  kind  reason 
avails  not ;  yet  I  ventured  to  ask  how  the  sun  managed  to  get 
under  the  foundations  of  the  earth  every  night  so  as  to  be  in  his 
place  in  the  morning.  This  difficulty  had  never  presented  itself, 
and  the  only  reply,  uttered  with  unswerving  conviction,  was,  'Well, 
I  do  not  believe  this  nonsense,  and  Oom  Paul  does  not  believe  it.' 
"  Should  you  suffer  from  malarial  fever  contracted  in  the 
marshy  country,  the  Dutch  pastor,  who  has  heard  nothing  of  tlie 
latest  researches  into  mosquito  virus,  and  is  sublimely  unconscious 
of  his  own  case,  will  console    you    with    the    warning   that    it  is  a 


4t>4  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

divine  punishment  for  having  left  the  land  of  your  birth.  Persis- 
tence in  the  ways  of  his  fathers  is  a  strong  characteristic  of  the 
Hoer.  Except  in  the  Free  State,  where  a  few  farmers  have  outraged 
pnhlic  opinion  and  flown  in  the  face  of  Providence,  by  introducing 
machinery,  the  method  of  cultivating  the  soil  is  that  of  Syria  and 
Palestine.  Corn  is  still  trodden,  and  the  law  is,  '  Thou  shalt  not 
muzzle  the  ox  when  he  treadeth  out  the  corn.'  Byt  the  ox  that 
presumes  to  think  himself  worthy  of  his  reward  is  beaten  unmerci- 
fully. Thus  is  the  letter  of  the  Law  of  Moses  observed.  There  is 
nothing  the  Boer  is  not  capable  of  doing  with  a  good  conscience. 
He  will  beat  a  Kaffir  to  death,  yet  will  never  believe  that  the 
native  is  not  his  loyal  and  devoted  friend.  At  this  moment,  when 
every  Kaffir  in  the  land,  is  eager  to  murder  his  white  oppressor, 
the  Boer  imagines  that  he  has  only  to  say  the  word,  and  Basutos, 
Swazi,  Matabele,  Zulu,  and  all  the  black  tribes  would  fall  upon  and 
destroy  his  enemies.  This  confidence  in  his  destiny  and  conscious- 
ness of  superiority  over  every  created  thing  would  be  sublime  were 
it  not  ridiculous. 

"As  a  family  man,  the  Boer's  reputation  would  justify  him  in 
becoming  a  candidate  for  the  Dunmow  Flitch.  Surly  and  suspicious 
in  manner,  heavy  and  uncouth  in  his  ways,  shy  and  reserved  among 
strangers,  you  may  win  him  to  a  gruff  cordiality,  if  you  are  a  husband 
and  father,  and  care  to  listen  to  the  details  of  his  domestic  life.  But, 
although  the  Boer  certainly  cherishes,  with  deep  affection,  his  wife 
and  children,  he  treats  them  according  to  Oriental,  rather  than 
European  ideas.  The  women  always  stand  until  the  men  are  seated, 
and  are  not  served  until  the  wants  of  their  lords  and  masters  are 
satisfied.  I  am  describing  the  customs  of  the  farmer  who  lives  on  the 
veldt,  and  has  no  acquaintance  with  western  manners.    Such  a  man 


w 


DOUBTFUL  AND  CERTAIN  ALLIES  427 

is  little  removed  from  a  state  of  barbarism,  and  his  surroundings  are 
often  as  squalid  as  those  of  a  Kaffir.  Despite  this  patriarchal  rule, 
the  vrouw  has  great  influence  over  her  man,  and  is  credited  with 
having,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  screwed  his  courage  up  to  the 
fighting  point.  The  Boer  vrouw  is  not  a  beauty,  notwithstanding 
the  care  with  which  she  preserves  her  complexion  from  the  effects  of 
the  sun.  Her  ambition,  like  that  of  the  fishwives  at  Scheveningen,  is 
to  become  as  fat  as  an  ox,  though,  unlike  the  Dutch  wife,  she  is  not 
an  example  of  scrupulous  cleanliness.  The  Boer  is  not  hospitable. 
He  resents  the  presence  of  strangers,  and,  being  too  lazy  to  cultivate 
more  than  is  necessary  for  the  immediate  wants  of  his  family,  he  has 
nothing  to  spare  for  uninvited  guests.  ' 

"I  have  endeavored  to  point  out  some  of  the  most  striking 
characteristics  of  these  people,  who  have  cast  a  malign  spell  over 
civilization  and  progress  in  South  Africa.  There  is  a  higher  type  of 
Boer,  who  is  comparatively  clean  in  person,  and  almost  European  in 
thought  and  habit.  He  may  be  as  corrupt  and  sly — 'slim'  is  the  word 
they  use — as  his  detractors  make  out,  yet  he  is  less  objectionable 
than  the  semi-barbarous  fanatic  on  the  veldt.  His  sense  of  honor 
may  not  be  keen,  and  his  disregard  for  the  truth  may  indicate  a  low 
moral  standard.  But  his  capacity  for  mischief  is  modified  by  the 
European  environment  with  which  he  suri'ounds  himself.  Where  he 
is  in  a  decided  majority,  his  disposition  is  arrogant  and  overbearing, 
but  he  is  easily  cowed  by  the  display  of  physical  force.  The  Boer  of 
the  farm  and  the  veldt,  as  well  as  of  the  border  towns,  is  less 
amenable  to  reason.  His  phenomenal  ignorance,  his  mouumental 
conceit,  his  unconquerable  hatred  of  the  British,  make  him  a  tyrant. 
It  would  astound  many  who  have  been  loud  in  denouncing  war,  if 
they  could  realize,   from   personal  observation    or    experience,  the 

23 


.lt>s  THE  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

nature  of  this  Boer  tyranny.  So  subtle  and  far  reaching  are  its 
effects,  that  in  many  districts  on  British  soil  our  fellow-countrymen 
pass  their  lives  in  subjection.  They  are  compelled  to  endure  slights, 
and  to  swallow  insults  that  would  have  long  since  driven  a  less 
patient  people  to  civil  war.  The  Boer  is  firmly  convinced  that  the 
British  are  a  race  of  cowards.  Not  all  the  eloquence  of  Mr.  Gladstone 
could  persuade  him  that  the  color  of  the  British  flag  is  not  white,  or 
that  the  independence  of  the  Transvaal  was  not  won  by  arms  at 
fjaings  Nek  and  Majuba." 


CHAPTER  XXII 


LYDDITE    AND    BOER    MARKSMANSHIP 


An  incident  of  the  war  was  the  protest  by  General  Joubert 
against  the  use  of  lyddite  shells,  as  being  inhuman  and  contrary  to 
civilized  methods.  This  high  explosive  is  thus  called  from  the  name 
of  the  small  Kentish  town  and  gunnery  center  where  the  experi- 
ments with  it  were  made.  Lyddite  is  simply  picric  acid  brought 
into  a  dense  state  of  fusion.  It  is  a  bright  yellow  substance  much 
used  for  dying  purposes,  and  is  obtained  by  the  action  of  nitric 
acid  on  phenol  or  carbolic  acid.  It  burns  fiercely,  and  owing  to 
the  terrific  blast  produced  by  its  explosion,  the  destructive  effects 
of  a  bursting  shell  filled  with  it  is  eleven  times  greater  than  that 
of  a  shell  filled  with  gunpowder. 

Ordinary  shells  of  forged  steel  filled  with  lyddite  are  used  with 
six  inch  and  nine  and  two-tenths  inch  breech-loading  guns  and  with 
howitzers,  and  also  with  four  inch  to  six  inch  quick-firiug  guns.  All 
such  shells  are  equipped  with  percussion  nose  fuses  only,  and  the 
explosion  takes  place  on  impact  thus:  The  percussion  fuse  ignites 
a  picric  powder  exploder,  which,  in  turn,  ignites  the  bursting  charge 
of  lyddite,  the  detonation  of  the  fuse  and  of  the  two  explosives 
inside  the  shell  being  simultaneous.  The  picric  powder  exploder  is 
inserted  in  a  recess  left  in  the  lyddite  for  that  purpose.  Despite 
the  protests  of  the  Boer  commander  against  its  use,  the  lyddite 
shell  is  in  some  respects  less  barbarous  than  the  shrapnel  exploded 
by  powder,  for,  though  widespread,  its  effect  is  due  more  to  air 
concussion  than  to  the  w^ounding  effects  of  the  flying  fragments. 

(429) 


430  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

That  is  to  say,  in  the  case  of  a  lyddite  shell  bursting  among  a 
group  of  men  the  greater  number  will  be  killed,  not  by  pieces  of 
the  shell,  but  by  the  blow  of  the  suddenly  compressed  air.  In  other 
words,  this  extraordinary  missile  kills  a  man   without  hitting   him. 

Much  has  been  said  about  the  amazing  skill  of  the  Boers  with 
the  rifle.  That  they  are  experts  cannot  be  denied,  for  any  men 
whose  existence  depends  on  their  ability  to  defend  themselves 
against  wild  men  and  animals  cannot  fail  to  handle  the  weapon 
effectively.  The  life  of  the  frontier,  where  the  nearest  neighbor 
might  be  miles  away,  has  made  them  self-reliant  and  expert  in  the 
art  of  self-defense. 

But  the  Boers  do  not  possess  the  skill  with  which  they  are 
credited,  for  the  good  reason  that  no  people  in  the  world  can  pos- 
sibly acquire  such  dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  rifle.  One  of  the 
greatest  of  living  experts  as  to  the  possibilities  of  this  weapon  is 
Mr.  A.  P.  Ingalls,  of  St.  Louis.  Not  only  is  he  among  the  most  skill- 
ful marksmen  in  the  west,  but  he  has  made  a  life-long  study  of  the 
subject,  and  his  statements,  therefore,  have  an  authority  which 
belongs  to  those  of  few  others.  A  gentleman  some  time  ago  was 
so  wrought  up  by  the  accounts  of  the  wonderful  marksmanship  of 
the  Boers  that  he  asked  Mr.  Ingalls  the  question, 

"Can  an  expert  rifleman  hit  an  object  the  size  of  a  man  1,000 
yards  away?  " 

''  Of  course  he  can,"  was  the  reply.  "  You  stand  for  a  target 
1,000  yards  from  me  and  I'll  kill  you  nine  times  out  of  ten." 

"Can  the  feat  be  performed  under  all  conditions?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  the  veteran.  "  It  practically  can't  be  done 
unless  the  marksman  knows  the  exact  distance  of  his  target  and 
precisely  what  his  gun  will  do  and  has  taken  the  proper  care  to 


LYDDITE  AND  BOER  MARKSMANSHIP  431 

load  liis  shells  accurately,  and  see  that  his  sights  are  adjusted  to 
the  wind." 

'*  Do  you  believe  these  stories  about  the  Boers'  ability  to  pick 
off  men  or  antelope  at  from  750  to  1,000  yards?" 

"No,  and  no  one  else  does  who  knows  anything  about  shoot- 
ing. It  would  take  a  ton  of  lead  fired  out  of  a  rifle  to  kill  a  man 
1,000  yards  distant  under  conditions  that  prevail  in  war. 

"There  are  three  great  difficulties  to  be  surmounted:  The  first 
is  estimating  the  distance ;  the  second  is  gauging  the  wind ;  the 
third  is  the  absolute  inability  of  any  man  to  hold  a  gun  perfectly 
steady  without  a  rest  —  I  might  almost  say  with  a  rest.  I  have 
known  one  man  who  could  judge  distance  accurately,  but  he  was 
a  freak,  such  as  these  men  who  can  carry  columns  and  columns  of 
figures  in  their  heads.  He  could  glance  at  an  object,  say  200  yards 
away,  and  tell  you  the  distance,  and  he  wouldn't  miss  it  two  yards. 
I  saw  him  kill  a  deer  400  yards  away  once.  That  is  the  longest 
successful  shot  I  ever  knew  to  be  made  at  a  live  target  except 
when  the  distance  was  known  to  a  certainty.  If  it  had  been  any- 
one but  the  man  who  did  it,  I  would  say  it  was  just  a  'happen' — 
that  he  couldn't  do  it  again  —  but  I  knew  his  wonderful  gift  for 
estimating  distances  accurately.  I  have  heard  a  good  many  men 
claim  to  have  killed  deer  500  or  600  yards  distant.  I  always  think 
200  yards  would  be  a  closer  estimate.  And  when  I  have  had  the 
opportunity,  and  have  taken  the  trouble  to  measure  the  distance,  I 
have  found  I  was  right.  I  once  killed  a  crow  with  a  rifle  240  yards 
away.    That  sounds  incredible,  but  it  is  the  truth. 

"  It  was  when  1  was  a  boy  in  Maine.  My  father  had  a  target 
500  yards  from  our  back  fence.  There  was  a  dead  calf  exactly 
half  way  between  the  fence  and  the  target.     It  had  been  put  there 


rA'2  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

as  a  bait  for  a  fox.  There  had  been  a  snow  and  the  crows  had 
dug  down  to  the  carcass  and  one  was  standing  guard  while  the 
others  were  eating.  The  sentinel's  black  feathers  made  a  perfect 
mark  against  the  snow  background,  although  he  didn't  look  bigger 
than  a  nailhead  in  yonder  wall.  I  knew  the  distance,  and  I  knew 
at  what  notch  to  put  the  sights  of  the  gun.  There  was  no  wind 
stirring.  I  rested  the  gun  on  the  fence  and  popped  away  and  the 
crow  fell  over  dead.  Now  that  was  just  a  'happen'  shot.  I  aimed 
to  make  it  all  right,  but  I  might  not  do  it  again  in  a  thousand 
times. 

"Now,  for  the  wind:  In  a  1,000  yard  range  a  wind  blow- 
ing three  miles  an  hour  will  deflect  a  bullet  about  fifteen  feet. 
That  has  to  be  allowed  for,  and,  as  the  wind's  force  is  rarely  the 
same  over  the  entire  range,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  gauge  it 
accurately  for  a  chance  range. 

"As  to  the  inability  of  a  man  to  hold  a  gun  perfectly  steady, 
anybody  knows  that  is  true.  But  there  are  marksmen  who  can 
drive  tacks  with  a  rifle  or  cut  a  string  with  a  bullet.  That  is  true, 
but  not  at  long  range.    Let  me  illustrate : 

"To  give  you  an  idea 'of  the  care  that  is  necessary  to  make  a 
creditable  long  distance  target,  I  will  ask  if  you  know  why  long- 
distance riflemen  use  a  round  barreled  gun  instead  of  the  octagon- 
shaped  barrel  that  most  sportsmen  like?" 

"  No,  I  thought  not.  You  do  know,  however,  that  steel  expands 
with  heat.  You  may  even  remember  the  figures  as  to  the  expansion 
and  contraction  of  big  bridges  according  as  the  weather  is  hot  or 
cold.  I  don't,  but  I  do  know  that  for  every  grain  of  pow^der  burned 
in  a  gun  there  is  a  corresponding  expansion  of  the  metal  ban-el. 
I  also  know  that  if  this  expansion  is  not  equable,  the  gun  will  not 


LYDDITE  AND  BOER  MARKSMANSHIP  433 

shoot  true.  The  expansion  cannot  be  absolutely  the  same  at  every 
point  of  an  octagon-shaped  barrel  because  some  parts  are  thicker 
than  others,  whereas  a  round  barrel  is  the  same  thickness  all 
around,  and  expands  at  one  point  as  much  as  it  does  at  another. 
This  may  sound  chimerical  to  you,  but  did  you  ever  see  a  piece  of 
modern  artillery  vp^ith  any  but  a  cylindrical  barrel?  They  are  made 
that  way  in  order  to  secure  equality  of  expansion. 

"Another  thing  that  target-shooters  do,  who  make  scores  worth 
noting,  is  to  load  their  own  shells.  I  never  saw  a  man  make  a 
decent  score  with  factory  amunition,  and,  of  course,  that  is  what 
soldiers  in  the  field  use.  We  weigh  our  powder  as  carefully  as 
though  it  were  gold  dust,  and  if  there  is  a  grain  too  much  or  a  grain 
too  little  we  reduce  or  add  to  the  charge  exactly  that  grain. 

"I  am  not  saying  that  a  man  can't  hit  a  target  without  all 
this  care.  I  have  seen  harum-scarum  fellows  plunk  the  bull's-eye 
with  a  factory  cartridge.  But  they  can't  shoot  steadily,  and  when 
the  scores  are  made  up  they  are  out  of  it.  They  may  have  bull's- 
eyes,  but  others  of  their  shots  will  have  gone  wide  of  the  target. 
A  very  small  thing  will  start  a  bullet  on  the  wrong  course.  That 
is  one  reason  why  target  shooters  don't  use  magazine  guns.  The 
bullets  in  a  magazine  are  apt  to  become  more  worn  on  one  side 
than  on  the  other.  Of  course,  that  is  fatal  in  long  distance  shoot- 
ing, although  it  might  not  count  in  a  range  of  less  than  live  hun- 
dred yards. 

"But  the  great  difficulty  about  sharpshooters  picking  off  men 
at  long  range  is,  that  they  can't  know  how  far  they  are  shooting 
and  they  can't  hold  the  gun  on  the  target.  To  be  sure,  they  can 
get  the  range  of  a  position  with  a  range-finder,  and  then  rain 
bullets  on  it,  and  where  so  many  bullets  are  falling  some  are  bound 


4;U  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

to  find  their  billets,  but  tliat  isn't  marksmanship— that  is  merely 
shelling  a  position.  A  bullet  from  a  modern  rifle  will  kill  more  than 
a  mile  away,  and,  theoretically,  they  are  sighted  for  tremendous 
distances,  but  the  trouble  is  that  nobody  can  shoot  accurately  with 
them  at  such  extremely  long  ranges." 

Mr.  Ingalls  told  of  the  devices  of  target  shooters  to  obtain  a 
steady  rest  for  their  guns  —  how  they  lie  on  their  backs,  on  their 
faces  and  in  every  other  conceivable  manner  in  order  to  insure  the 
steadiness  of  their  aim.  The  best  rest,  in  his  opinion,  is  a  box  with 
a  place  sawed  out  of  it  for  the  marksman  to  stand  in.  This  sup- 
ports him  on  both  sides,  and,  with  the  barrel  of  his  gun  resting  on 
a  sack  of  sand  or  shot,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  him  to  wabble. 
The  Boer  sharpshooters  probably  don't  have  time  to  make  such  rests 
for  their  rifles. 

"  Sharp  shooters,  of  course,  have  peep  sights  to  concentrate  their 
vision,  but  any  hunter  will  tell  you  that  a  peep  sight  isn't  of  much 
service  when  the  object  to  be  sighted  is  not  clearly  defined  against 
the  background. 

"If  I  were  to  see  a  Filipino  1,000  yards  away,  I'd  take  a  crack  at 
him  for  luck,"  concluded  Mr.  Ingalls,  "  but,  unless  I  knew  the  exact 
distance  and  the  force  of  the  wind,  and  had  a  perfect  rest,  I  would 
only  get  him  by  chance." 

One  startling  fact  was  connected  with  the  heavy  losses  suffered 
by  the  British  troops  in  their  battles  with  the  Boers.  That  was  the 
alarming  number  of  officers  killed.  The  figures  showed  that  out 
of  every  four  slain  at  Glencoe,  one  was  an  officer,  whereas,  the 
organization  is  made  on  the  principle  that  there  is  one  to  every 
twenty-five  men.  Among  the  enlisted  men  at  Glencoe,  the  propor- 
tion of   killed   to  wounded   was  30  to  156,  while   10  officers  were 


LYDDITE  AND  BOER  MARKSMANSHIP  435 

killed  and  22  officers  wounded.  The  difference  in  the  percentage 
leads  to  the  belief  that  many  of  the  officers  continued  to  lead 
their  men  after  receiving  their  first  wound. 

These  facts  caused  many  strenuous  protests  against  the  ancient 
custom  of  British  officers  in  refusing  to  take  cover  when  under 
fire.  Emperor  William  criticised  this  practice,  and  the  general 
feeling  in  the  army  was  that,  though  the  regulations  do  not  say 
that  officers  must  not  lie  down,  it  is  such  a  well  established 
principle  that  it  would  take  a  courageous  man  to  begin  a  change. 
A  really  brave  officer  feels  shamefacedness  in  seeking  a  shelter, 
which,  of  necessity,  is  denied  his  men.  The  sight  of  such  an  act 
during  a  critical  moment  is  demoralizing  to  the  soldiers,  whose 
respect  for  their  leaders  suffers  a  damaging  blow  when  they  see 
them  trying  to  find  protection  from  the  whistling  bullets.  It  is 
human  nature  to  venerate  the  officer  who  is  able  to  say,  "Come!" 
instead  of  shouting,  "Go!"  to  his  men,  and  the  adage  of  the  British 
soldier  is,  "Follow  wherever  an  officer  leads." 

No  one  can  forget  the  deadly  accuracy  displayed  by  the  Boers 
with  the  rifle  in  the  war  of  1879- '80,  but  the  weapon  of  that  day 
bears  slight  comparison  to  the  one  used  in  1899.  The  former  was 
made  on  the  lines  of  the  British  Martini,  and  was  a  hammerless 
arm  of  about  nine  pounds  weight,  with  a  30-inch  half-octagon 
barrel  and  a  shotgun  butt  stock.  Its  calibre  was  ,45,  and  the 
bullet  weighed  from  405  to  450  grains,  the  powder  charge  being 
90  grains  in  a  brass  drawn  cartridge  case. 

This  weapon  was  sighted  up  to  2,000  yards,  and,  besides  the 
usual  stationary  sight,  it  had  a  reversible  front,  or,  in  other  words, 
a  sight  capable  of  being  used  as  an  ordinary  front  sight,  and  by  a 
single   motion,  changed   into   a   fine   pinhead  sight,  protected  by  a 


43(;  TlIM  STOirV  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

ring  to  prevent  it  being  knocked  off.  When  specially  fine  shooting 
was  desired,  the  front  globe  was  shaded  by  a  thimble-shaped  hood. 
The  ordinary  lixed,  or  rear  sights  were  on  the  barrel,  while  on  the 
gun's  grip  was  a  turndown  peep,  regulated  by  a  sidescrew  to  an 
elevation  of  2,000  yards.  The  shortest  distance  for  which  the  peep 
and  globe  were  used,  was  some  700  yards 

"I  was  very  much  interested  in  the  Boer  riflemen  and  their 
weapons,"  said  Archibald  Forbes,  who  was  with  Sir  Evelyn  Wood's 
column  in  South  Africa,  in  1897-'80.  "They  are  marvelous  rifle 
shots.  They  shoot  their  antelope  and  other  game  from  the  saddle, 
not  apparently  caring  to  get  nearer  to  their  quarry  than  600  to 
700  yards.  Then  they  understand  the  currents  of  air,  their  effect 
upon  the  drift  of  a  bullet,  and  can  judge  distance  as  accurately  as 
it  could  be  measured  by  a  skilled  engineer.  They  can  hit  an 
officer  as  far  as  they  can  discern  his  insignia  of  rank.  Sir  George 
W.  Colley,  the  commander  in  South  Africa,  was  killed  at  a  distance 
of  1,400  yards,  at  Majuba  Hill.  We  lost  terribly  in  officers  at  the 
figlit  mentioned,  and  also  at  Laing's  Nek  and  Rorke's  Drift,  from 
the  deadly  rifles  of  the  sharpshooting  Boers." 

No  explanation  is  required  as  to  how  the  Boers  became  such 
wonderful  marksmen.  It  has  been  shown  that  it  was  because 
when  they  went  to  South  Africa  they  had  to  learn  to  shoot  well 
in  contesting  the  country  with  wald  beasts  and  the  equally  fierce 
wild  men.  They  became  unemng  riflemen  through  the  same 
education  that  made  the  American  pioneers  among  the  finest  shots 
in  the  world.  Every  Boer  is  a  hunter,  and  such  men  must  inevi- 
tably become  expert  rifle  shots,  or  they   are  not   properly   hunters. 

The  Boer  rifle  of  to-day  is  the  sporting  model  of  the  Mann- 
licher,  a  German  arm,  which,  for  its  w^eight  and  caliber,  is  probably 


LYDDITE  AND  BOER  MARKSMANSHIP  487 

the  most  powerful  weapon  in  the  world.  The  military  Mannlicher 
is  used  in  the  armies  of  Austria,  Holland,  Greece,  Brazil,  Chili, 
Peru  and  Roumania.  The  "Haenel  model,"  as  a  sporting  weapon, 
is  beyond  all  rivalry.  Its  finish  is  perfection,  it  weighs  about  eight 
pounds,  and  in  South  Africa  it  costs  200  marks.  The  carbine 
barrel  is  24  inches  long  and  the  rifle  30.  It  has  a  pistol  grip  and 
sling  straps,  is  hair  triggered  and  its  caliber  is  .30.  Its  extreme 
range  is  4,500  yards,  with  a  killing  range  of  4,000  yards.  What 
would  our  early  pioneers  have  thought  of  a  little  weapon  that  could 
be  relied  upon  to  kill  a  man  more  than  two  miles  away?  Yet  at  the 
distance  named  this  wonderful  rifle  will  send  a  bullet  through  two 
inches  of  solid  ash  and  nearly  three  of  pine,  and  at  a  short  distance  it 
will  drive  a  ball  clean  through  four  feet  of  pine. 

The  bullet  used  in  war  is  full-mantled,  with  an  outer  skin  of 
copper  or  nickel,  but  that  which  is  employed  for  game  shooting  is 
only  half-mantled,  leaving  the  lead  point  exposed,  so  that  it 
"mushrooms"  or  spreads  when  it  strikes.  No  arm  can  compare  with 
it  in  hunting  large  game.  Making  a  small  orifice  as  it  enters,  it  tears 
a  large  one  as  it  leaves  the  body.  With  a  velocity  of  2,000  feet  a 
second,  its  impact  is  tremendous. 

Mention  is  often  made  of  the  Dum-Dum  bullet,  which  is  a  soft- 
pointed  missile,  but  far  less  destructive  than  the  Haenel-Mannlicher 
ball,  employed  by  the  Boers,  which,  at  close  range,  say  at  1,000  yards 
or  less,  does  not  flatten,  but  bores  a  clean  hole  through  a  bone  without 
splintering.  When,  however,  it  upsets,  the  consequences  are  fright- 
ful, for  flesh  and  bone  are  torn  to  fragments.  The  charre  was  made 
that  the  Boers  used  the  soft  pointed  bullet  against  the  British;  for  the 
sake  of  humanity's  decency,  it  w'ould  be  better  not  to  credit  the 
accusation. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

GREAT    BRITAIN    AND    COLONIAL   LOYALTl 

The  rapid  development  of  the  South  African  war  and  the 
reverses  which  came  to  English  arms  in  the  early  part  of  the 
struggle,  brought  Great  Britain  face  to  face  with  contingencies  not 
considered  in  the  opening  days  of  the  contest.  The  most  pessimistic 
did  not  think  the  "insignificant"  Boer  war  would  test  the  fibre  of 
the  British  Empire,  nor  that  the  results  of  the  fighting  would  open 
an  opportunity  for  jealous  European  nations  to  make  an  advance 
on  England's  outposts  in  the  far  east.  But,  confronted  by  these 
problems,  England  bravely  grappled  with  them.  The  English  col- 
onies showed  their  loyalty  by  an  eager  offering  of  reinforcements. 
Lord  Salisbury  immediately  served  notice  on  the  world  that  England 
would  not  tolerate  any  interference  on  the  part  of  other  powers, 
and  that  the  attempt  to  take  advantage  of  England's  difficulties, 
would  be  met  with  stern  retribution,  even  if  it  took  the  last 
British  dollar,  and  the  last  drop  of  blood  in  the  nation. 

The  quick  offer  of  colonial  assistance  was  one  of  the  bright 
spots,  to  the  British  heart,  in  the  midst  of  the  general  gloom  which 
swept  over  the  empire,  because  of  the  Boer  victories.  The  different 
colonies  offered  twice  the  number  of  men  that  could  be  accepted 
by  the  mother  country,  and  the  various  colonial  parliaments  quickly 
met  to  vote  funds  and  supplies  for  the  equipping  of  troops.  Rich 
men  in  various  parts  of  the  empire,  came  forward  with  offers  to 
individually  equip  a  certain  number  of  men.  Thousands  of  dollars 
were  given  from  private  sources. 

(439) 


m  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Later  further  offers  of  reinforcements  were  accepted  from  the 
colonics.  Canada  offered  to  equip  a  force  of  mounted  policemen, 
the  hard  rough  riders  and  fighters  of  the  Northwest  territories. 
Troops  were  also  accepted  from  Australia,  in  addition  to  the  first 
enlistments.  When  the  call  for  volunteers  came  in  England  proper, 
never  had  been  seen  such  scenes  of  enthusiasm  as  were  witnessed 
on  the  streets  of  London.  The  regimental  quotas  were  quickly 
filled  up,  and  before  the  middle  of  January,  several  thousand  vol- 
unteers from  England  proper,  were  embarked  aboard  ship  on  their 
way  to  the  scene  of  the  strife.  The  parting  reception  given  these 
volunteers  was  something  never  exceeded  in  England.  Dense 
crowds  packed  the  thoroughfares,  and  the  police  details  could 
hardly  clear  the  way  of  the  thousands  who  were  packed  along  the 
line  of  march.  Dukes,  lords  and  earls  fought  for  the  right  to  secure 
commanding  positions  in  these  regiments.  Never  before  has  England 
sent  out  so  much  of  her  blue  blood  to  the  battlefield. 

When  news  of  the  first  British  disasters  at  the  seat  of  war 
reached  Canada,  there  was  no  dismay  or  discouragement,  but  a 
tidal  wave  of  patriotism  swept  over  the  country,  like  that  which 
carried  everything  before  it  in  England.  Naturally,  the  belief  was 
general  that  a  second  contingent  would  be  called  for,  to  include 
artillery,  as  well  as  mounted  infantry,  in  which  the  Canadian  service 
is  known  to  be  very  efficient.  Lieutenant  Dwyer,  of  the  Royal 
Artillery,  stationed  at  Halifax,  was  ordered  to  report  at  once  for 
service  in  South  Africa,  and  all  Canada  waited  to  hear  the  call,  in 
order  to  respond  with  the  same  enthusiastic  loyalty  with  which 
she  had  answered  the  first  summons. 

The  other  British  colonies  were  not  behind  Canada  in  their 
devotion    to   England.     On   July    11,  the  Queensland   Parliament, 


COLONIAL  LOYALTY  441 

months  before  the  negotiations  had  reached  an  acute  stage,  passed 
a  resolution,  amid  great  enthusiasm,  offering  the  home  government 
the  services  of  250  mounted  infantry,  with  machine  guns,  in  the 
event  of  hostilities.  Canada  came  next,  closely  followed  by  Tas- 
mania, New  Zealand,  Victoria,  Western  Australia,  New  South 
Wales,  and  South  Australia,  who  asked  the  privilege  of  sending 
large  contingents  to  the  seat  of  war. 

These  troops  were  really  not  needed.  The  hard-headed  War 
Office  saw  that  they  were  not  as  likely  to  be  useful  as  the  well 
drilled  and  disciplined  forces  that  could  be  forwarded  from  Eng- 
land, but  the  sentiment  which  prompted  the  gratifying  offer  could 
not  be  ignored,  and  they  were,  therefore,  cordially  accepted.  The 
question  became,  not  as  to  how  many  men  the  respective  colonies 
would  send,  but  how  many  could  be  utilized  by  the  home  govern- 
ment. It  was  decided  finally  that  the  unit  of  125  men  should  be 
made  the  limit  of  each  colony,  except  in  the  cases  of  Victoria  and 
New  South  Wales,  which  were  allowed  250  men,  and  of  Canada, 
which  could  send  500.  In  Australia  the  ships  selected  to  carry  the 
volunteers  had  to  be  specially  guarded,  to  prevent  their  being  over- 
run by  the  hundreds  who,  seemingly,  would  not  be  denied.  The 
difficult  problem  was  finally  solved  as  follows,  the  numbers  in  many 
cases  exceeding  the  limits  set: 

Canada:  Six  companies  of  infantry,  making  nearly  a  thousand 
men.  Victoria:  One  hundred  and  twenty-five  mounted  rifles  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  infantry.  Tasmania:  Eighty  infantry. 
New  South  Wales:  One  hundred  and  twenty-five  lancers  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  infantry,  in  addition  to  a  hospital  corps 
of  eighty-six  men.  South  Australia:  One  hundred  and  twenty-five 
infantry.    West  Australia:    One  hundred  and   twenty-five   infantry. 


44t>  THE  STOllY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

New  Zealand:  Two  hundred  mounted  rifles.  Queensland:  One 
hundred  and  twenty-five  infantry. 

The  Victorian  and  Tasmanian  contingents  sailed  from  Melbourne, 
on  October  28,  on  which  day  the  city  witnessed  the  greatest 
demonstration  in  its  history.  As  the  band  marched  through  the 
streets,  it  was  cheered  by  200,000  people,  and  the  Colonial  Governor, 
in  an  eloquent  speech,  thrilled  his  hearers  by  declaring  that  the 
wheeling  into  line  by  the  sons  of  Australia,  with  the  men  of 
Canada,  marked  an  era  in  British  history. 

Similar  honors  were  paid  on  the  same  day  by  Sydney  to  her 
departing  militia,  as  was  the  case  at  Adelaide  and  Brisbane,  and  at 
Wellington,  New  Zealand,  the  various  legislatures  having  voted 
large  sums  for  the  support  of  the  families  of  the  men  who  took 
the  field. 

As  the  war  progressed  the  movements  in  European  diplomatic 
circles  left  no  room  for  doubt  that  at  least  France  and  Russia  were 
endeavoring  to  secure  the  assistance  of  other  powers  in  joint  repre- 
sentations to  Great  Britain.  It  was  regarded  as  certain  that  neither 
France  nor  Russia  were  acting  from  motives  of  sympathy  with  the 
Boers,  for  if  so,  they  would  have  entered  their  protests  before  the 
negotiations  between  Kruger  and  Chamberlain  reached  the  ulti- 
matum stage.  Therefore,  it  was  reasonable  to  infer  that  if  France 
and  Russia  act  at  or  before  the  close  of  the  war,  they  will  do  so 
from  purely  selfish  motives,  and  with  the  expectation  of  compelling 
Great  Britain  to  remain  passive,  while  they  seize  some  other  parts 
of  the  globe  for  their  own.  Russia's  ambition  in  the  direction  of 
the  Indian  Ocean  is  w^ell  known,  and  France  has  designs  in  China 
and  Africa  which  it  never  has  taken  the  pains  to  conceal. 

Unfortunately   for  a    pacific    outlook,    the   ambitions  of    both 


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COLONIAL  LOYALTY  445 

France  and  Russia  are  dangerous  to  the  British  Empire.  England 
can  neither  permit  France  to  secure  preponderance  in  the  control 
of  northern  Africa,  nor  allow  Russia  to  advance  to  the  borders  of 
India  without  practically  destroying  the  British  Empire.  Conse- 
quently, Great  Britain  is  almost  certain  to  accept  the  alternative 
of  war,  even  in  its  present  "  splendid  isolation,"  for  to  no  power 
can  it  turn,  unless,  perhaps,  it  may  be  to  Germany,  for  assistance. 
If  Great  Britain  is  finally  brought  face  to  face  with  the  alternative 
of  submission  to  the  dictates  of  Europe,  or  a  war  which  shall  girt, 
the  globe  with  a  belt  of  flame,  it  unquestionably  will  choose  the 
dread  alternative  of  war. 

The  attitude  of  the  several  European  powers  and  of  the  United 
States,  the  probable  direction  of  such  a  war,  and  the  changes  it 
would  ultimately  make  in  the  map  of  the  old  world,  are  subjects 
which  are  just  now  engrossing  the  attention  of  the  diplomats 
of  Europe.  Count  Mouravieff,  the  Russian  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  flitted  between  Paris  and  San  Sebastian  for  three  weeks, 
in  constant  consultation  with  the  French  and  Spanish  foreign 
departments.  All  over  Europe  the  press,  free  for  the  time  being 
from  the  restraint  of  censorship,  waged  a  campaign  of  bitter  invec- 
tive. The  crux  of  the  situation  will  come  when  England  whips 
the  Boers  of  the  Transvaal  and  the  Orange  Free  State.  Great 
Britain  will  make  known  its  plans  for  the  future  government  of 
those  two  republics. 

In  any  future  demands  on  Great  Britain,  Russia  w  ill  necessarily 
take  the  lead,  for  the  Czar's  empire  has  the  most  to  gain.  Although 
having  the  most  subtle  and  secretive  diplomats  in  Europe,  tlie 
ambition  and  inflexible  purpose  of  Russia  are  well  known.  In  a 
general   statement,   Russia's   ambition    lies  in   the  direction   of  an 

24 


440  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

open  sea,  unfettered  by  the  ice  shackles  of  winter.  Until  recently 
Russian  forts  faced  the  ice-clad  Baltic,  the  Arctic  Ocean  and  the 
Northern  Pacific.  For  six  months  of  every  year  Russia's  merchant 
steamers  and  Russia's  warships  were  locked  in  ice,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  recent  acquisition  from  China  of  Port  Arthur  that  the 
Czar's  naval  base  in  the  Pacific  was  rendered  effective  by  open 
water  the  year  around.  For  years  Russia  hoped  to  extend  its 
empire  southward  to  the  Mediterranean,  with  Constantinople  as 
the  objective  point,  but  its  ambition,  while  perhaps  not  com- 
pletely shattered,  was  indefinitely  delayed  by  the  Congress  of 
Berlin  in  1S7S,  when  Europe  erected  the  quasi  independent  Balkan 
States  as  a  buffer  between  the  Czar's  dominion  and  the  sea. 

Since  then  Russia  has  been  pushing  steadily  southward  toward 
Persia  and  Afghanistan.  All  the  intrigue  of  which  Russian  diplo- 
macy is  capable  has  been  exerted  in  securing  a  preponderating 
influence  in  the  semi-barbaric  courts  of  the  Ameer  and  the  Shah. 
So  successfully  has  this  diplomatic  intrigue  been  carried  on  that 
to-day  it  is  generally  believed  that  Russia  has  engaged  by  secret 
treaty  to  occupy  Afghanistan  with  Russian  troops  in  order  to  preserve 
order  after  the  death  of  the  present  Ameer  and  secure  the  throne 
to  his  successor.  And  it  is  an  open  secret  in  European  capitals 
that  the  Shah  has  agreed  to  give  Russia  the  port  of  Bunder-Abbis, 
on  the  Persian  Gulf,  whenever  Russia  chooses  to  occupy  it,  and 
has  also  granted  concessions  to  Russian  syndicates  for  railways 
running  from  Russian  soil  to  the  Persian  Gulf. 

Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that,  when  the  Czar's  army 
enters  Afghanistan,  it  goes  there  to  stay  until  Great  Britain  drives 
it  out.  The  day  that  a  Russian  army  corps  occupies  Herat,  that 
day  Afghanistan  becomes  territory  of  the  Czar,  and  brings  the  Rus- 


COLONIAL   LOYALTY  447 

sian  frontier  down  to  Khyber  Pass,  an  ever-present  menace  to 
British  control  of  India.  It  has  long  been  an  aphorism  in  London 
that  "When  Russia  goes  to  Herat,  we  fight."  Equally  dangerous  to 
the  British  Indian  empire  would  be  Russia's  control  of  the  Persian 
Gulf.  Great  Britain  gave  ample  evidence  of  a  true  appreciation  of 
the  danger  from  this  quarter  by  deciding  to  send  a  powerful 
squadron  to  the  Persian  Gulf,  thus  serving  notice  on  Russia,  in 
terms  not  to  be  misunderstood,  that  the  Czar  must  keep  hands  off 
for  the  present. 

Russia's  designs  in  China  are  equally  understood.  Already  the 
Czar  holds  the  Manchurian  peninsula  and  is  disputing  with  Great 
Britain  at  Peking  the  right  to  dictate  terms  and  concessions  to  the 
Chinese  government.  Great  Britain  has  secured  from  China  a  well 
defined  sphere  of  interest  in  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  Valley,  by  which 
ultimately  the  Indian  Empire  will  reach  eastward  from  Burmah  to 
the  Pacific.  English  capital  is  already  building  long  lines  of  rail- 
road through  and  across  the  valley.  In  any  united  European 
coalition  against  Great  Britain,  Russia,  if  the  coalition  succeeded 
in  its  object,  not  only  would  overthrow  British  influence  at  Peking 
and  deprive  Great  Britain  of  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  Valley,  but,  in  all 
probability,  would  extend  its  boundaries  of  the  territory  already 
seized  from  China,  southward,  until  it  included  Peking,  and  ultimately 
make  the  Chinese  empire  all  Russian. 

As  far  as  territorial  acquisition  is  concerned,  France  has  almost 
as  much  to  gain  as  Russia.  Then,  too,  France  is  still  smarting 
under  the  chagrin  of  the  Fashoda  incident,  when  a  year  ago 
Major  Marchand  was  unceremoniously  bundled  out  of  the  Upper 
Nile  country  by  Lord  Kitchener.  France  has  territorial  ambitions 
in  Africa  and  China,  and,  unfortunately  in  the  present  crisis,  these 


44S  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

ambitions  run  counter  to  British  interests.  In  Africa,  France 
already  controls  Algeria  and  Tunis,  bordering  on  the  Mediterranean, 
5111(1  \\w  FnMich  Soudan,  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  nearly  to  the 
Nil(>.  iM-ance  dreams  of  a  great  empire  in  Africa,  and  long  has 
coveted  Tripoli.  That  France  will  undertake  to  seize  the  latter,  in 
the  event  of  a  war,  goes  without  saying.  And  with  Tripoli  added 
to  Algeria,  France  would  be  up  to  the  gates  of  Egypt,  which  Great 
Britain  already  occupies,  and  probably  always  will  occupy,  in  order 
to  safeguard  the  Suez  Canal.  Again,  France  would  like  to  add 
Morocco  to  the  western  frontier  of  Algeria,  and  in  a  general 
European  war,  undoubtedly  would  endeavor  to  seize  it.  Morocco, 
under  French  control,  would  give  France  the  right,  at  least  to 
divide  with  Great  Britain,  the  control  of  the  Gibraltar  gateway  to 
the  Mediterranean.  If  united  Europe  should  defeat  Great  Britain 
in  war,  the  latter  would  be  driven  out  of  Egypt,  and  the  British 
control  pass  to  another  power,  and  France  would  again  step  in  to 
demand  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs  as  its  share  of  the  booty.  With 
Egypt  would  go  naturally  the  control  of  the  Suez  Canal,  this 
depriving  Great  Britain  of  its  short  road  to  India. 

In  China,  France,  too,  would  expect  to  gain  in  war  with  Great 
Britain.  France  already  has  a  strong  foothold  in  the  Orient,  Indo- 
China,  including  Tonkin,  being  a  valuable,  if  not  a  remunerative, 
colonial  possession.  In  addition  to  the  tenitory  already  held  in 
the  far  East,  France  has  a  treaty  with  China,  giving  it  a  sphere  of 
interest  in  several  of  the  southern  provinces  of  the  Chinese  empire, 
together  with  valuable  railway  concessions,  which  already  threaten 
to  extend  into  the  British  sphere  in  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  Valley. 
Added  to  all  this,  is  the  feverish  condition  of  France  at  home. 
The  army  is  disaffected,  conspiracies  are  rife,  and   royalist  plotting 


COLONIAL  LOYALTY  449 

is  incessant.  The  republic  is  torn  by  internal  strife.  Nothing; 
would  clear  the  French  atmosphere  more  thoroughly  than  a  war, 
in  which  factional  quarrels  at  home  would  be  forgotten,  and 
employment  given  to  a  great  army  that  long  has  chafed  under 
idleness. 

The  crux  of  the  whole  situation  seems  to  rest  with  the  German 
Emperor.  If  Germany  casts  its  lot  with  Europe,  Great  Britain  may 
as  well  call  out  its  last  available  man,  for  the  sea  girt  empire  will 
indeed  be  in  danger.  But  up  to  the  present  moment,  there  is 
apparent  reason  to  believe  that  Germany  will  cast  its  lot  with 
Great  Britain.  Several  months  before  the  Transvaal  negotia- 
tions assumed  a  dangerous  phase.  Lord  Salisbury  and  the  German 
Ambassador  to  the  court  of  St.  James,  reached  an  agreement  which, 
to-day,  is  tlie  most  mysterious  diplomatic  secret  in  all  Europe. 
That  this  agreement  has,  among  other  things,  given  Great  Britain 
a  free  hand  in  South  Africa  is  apparent,  for  the  Kaiser's  attitude 
now  is  in  strange  contrast  to  his  friendliness  toward  the  Boer 
government,  immediately  after  the  Jameson  raid  in  1S96,  when  he 
sent  a  congratulatory  message  to  President  Kruger  that  inflamed 
England,  mobilized  the  British  squadrons,  and  nearly  ended  in  war. 

Despite  the  evident  sympathy  of  a  large  majority  of  the  Ger- 
man people  for  the  Boers,  the  German  government  is  preserving 
an  attitude  of  the  most  impartial  neutrality.  The  mysterious 
agreement  between  Great  Britain  and  Germany,  which  is  exciting 
so  much  concern  in  Europe,  is  variously  interpreted,  the  most 
probable  explanation  of  its  tenor  being  hazarded  by  an  English 
statesman,  who  believes  it  gives  Germany  free  hand  in  the  Kaiser's 
pet  project  of  establishing  a  great  German  colonial  empire  in  Asia 
Minor.     Whatever  the  nature   of  the  secret  agreement,  it  may  be 


4;,()  TIIK  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

safely  assumed  that  Great  Britain  has  not  given  Germany  something 
tor  nothing.  If  (Jerniany  is  to  be  permitted  to  establish  herself  in 
Asia  Minor,  (Jreat  Britain  has  received  compensation  somewhere, 
and  the  nature  of  tluit  compensation  will  be  revealed  when  the 
European  interference  with  Great  Britain's  plans  is  definitely  agreed 

upon,  if  at  all. 

The  successful  formation  of  a  European  coalition,  therefore, 
depends  largely  upon  Germany.  If  Germany  unites  its  fleet  with 
Great  Britain,  and  holds  its  army  ready  to  march  against  France 
and  llussia,  the  proposed  European  coalition  will  end  in  bluster. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  Germany  shall  finally  decide  to  make  terms 
with  France  and  Russia,  trusting  to  an  agreement  with  those 
powers  to  give  it  what  it  wants  in  Asia  Minor  or  any  other  quarter 
of  the  globe,  the  coalition  is  as  good  as  formed.  But,  up  to  the 
present  time,  every  indication  points  to  German  sympathy  with 
Great  Britain,  and  every  effort  is  being  made  in  France  and  Russia 
to  break  this  mysterious  bond  of  friendship.  It  hardly  seems 
credible  that  France  and  Russia  would  provoke  war  with  Great 
Britain  and  Germany  united.  The  risk  would  be  too  great,  for  both 
would  be  menaced  by  the  English  squadrons  on  their  coasts,  and 
by  the  German,  Austrian,  and  Italian  armies  on  the  frontiers. 

The  attitude  of  the  smaller  powers  is  worthy  of  consideration, 
for  they  could  hardly  escape  being  drawn  into  any  controversy 
which  involves  Great  Britain,  Russia,  France  and  Germany. 

Take  Italy  first:  Italy  is  almost  the  only  exclusively  Mediter- 
ranean power,  and  must,  for  its  own  protection,  exercise  a  consid- 
erable voice  in  the  control  of  that  great  inland  ocean.  It  is  a 
member  of  the  dreibund,  that  offensive  and  defensive  alliance 
which  calls  Italy's  army  into  the  field  whenever  Germany  or  Austria, 


COLONIAL  LOYALTY  451 

or  both,  are  attacked.'  If  Germany  involves  itself  in  war  either 
for  or  against  Great  Britain,  Italy,  by  the  terms  of  the  dreibund, 
is  bound  to  assist.  But,  asside  from  the  driebund,  Italy  has 
interests,  mostly  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  a  mythical  one  in  China, 
which  almost  compel  it  to  attach  itself  to  the  fortunes  of  Great 
Britain  in  the  present  crisis.  In  the  first  place,  Italy  long  has 
asserted  its  claim  to  Tripoli,  and  its  claim  is  well  known  to 
Europe.  Inasmuch  as  Tripoli  is  equally  coveted  by  France,  it  is 
certain  that  it  cannot  be  taken  over  by  both.  By  joining  issues 
with  France  and  Russia,  Italy  would  have  nothing  to  gain  in  the 
way  of  compensation.  On  the  other  hand,  by  allying  itself  with 
Great  Britain,  Italy  would  be  able  to  claim  Tripoli  when  peace  was 
once  more  restored.  Italian  interests  in  China  are  hazy  in  the 
extreme,  but  the  government  still  cherishes  a  dream  of  a  colonial 
dependency  in  the  Orient. 

It  may  be  set  down  as  practically  certain  that  Austria,  if  it 
takes  any  hand  at  all  in  the  international  quarrel,  will  do  so  most 
unwillingly,  and  on  the  side  with  which  Germany  allies  itself. 
Austria  is  in  no  condition  financially  or  otherwise  to  go  to  war. 
Even  were  its  treasury  full,  the  fear  of  Hungarian  revolt  and  a 
break-up  of  the  Danubian  empire  would  deter  Frances  Joseph  from 
becommg  a  party  to  a  general  European  war. 

To  many  it  might  seem  almost  ridiculous  even  for  a  moment 
to  consider  Spain  in  connection  with  the  word  ''war."  Hut  at  the 
same  time  it  must  be  remembered  that  Spain  easily  can  put  from 
100,000  to  150,000  men  in  the  field,  providing  tlie  funds  were  forth- 
coming. A  loan  from  France  in  the  emergency,  together  with 
the  hope  of  securing  the  retrocession  of  Gibralter  from  England 
might  induce  Spain  to  forget   the   trouncing  it  received  from  the 


IVJ  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

I'liited  States  a  year  ago,  and  once  more  try  its  fortune  at  the  game 
of  war. 

The  position  of  'J'urkey  might  bother  the  diplomats  on  both 
sides  of  the  controversy.  It  is  difficult  to  see  how  the  Sultan  could 
bo  drawn  into  the  war,  and  equally  difficult  to  understand  how  he 
could  keep  out  of  it.  Abdul  Hamid  is  in  the  unfortunate  position  of 
being  compelled  to  choose  sides  in  a  possible  conflict,  with  the 
certain  knowledge  that  he  will  lose  with  either.  He  is  bound  by 
the  treaty  of  Berlin  to  guard  the  Dardanelles  against  the  passage 
of  tlie  Russian  Black  Sea  squadron.  He  has  been  enabled  by 
judicious  loans  from  England,  to  fortify  the  Dardanelles  so  strongly 
with  modern  Krupp  guns  that  he  can,  if  he  chooses,  batter  the 
Russian  warships  to  pieces  when  they  try  to  force  their  way 
through  into  the  Mediterranean.  If  he  uses  his  Krupp  guns  against 
Russia  he  will  have  the  Czar's  armies  knocking  at  his  door  to  the 
north,  and  Bulgaria,  Servia,  and  Roumania  ready  to  unite  to  lib- 
erate Macedonia,  with  Austria  waiting  for  a  convenient  opportunity 
to  seize  Salonica  Bay.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Sultan  even 
tacitly  allies  himself  with  Russia  by  permitting  the  Black  Sea 
squadron  to  pass  unscathed,  he  will  have  Germany  and  Great 
Britain  on  his  back,  with  the  certainty  of  losing  Asia  Minor,  in 
addition  to  the  Bulgarian  uprising  and  the  loss  of  Salonica  Bay. 
As  to  the  little  kingdoms  of  Europe,  they  undoubtedly  will  be  per- 
mitted to  remain  passive  spectators  of  the  great  international 
tragedy  —  to  preserve  a  stolid  neutrality  in  the  midst  of  the  vortex 
of  war  about  them. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  appreciate  the  magnitude  and  the 
horror  which  must  characterize  a  war  involving  Great  Britain, 
Russia,  Germany,  Austria,  Italy,  France  and   Spain  in  one  general, 


COLONIAL  LOYALTY  453 

widespread  conflict.  It  would  mean  a  war  around  the  globe.  All 
Europe,  all  Africa,  most  of  Asia,  the  Islands  of  the  South  Pacific, 
the  West  Indies,  and  the  northern  part  of  North  America  would  be 
the  scenes  of  conflict.  Great  Britain  would  have,  first  of  all,  to 
defend  its  empire  in  India.  The  Russian  arm}',  passing  through 
Afghanistan,  would  attempt  to  force  its  way  through  Khyber  and 
Chitral  passes,  thence  to  pour  down  on  the  plains  of  India,  in  an 
attempt  to  drive  Great  Britain  into  the  Indian  Ocean.  The  cam- 
paign in  India  alone  would  be  a  Napoleonic  contest,  for  here  Great 
Britain  maintains  an  army  of  nearly  300,000  regular  and  native 
troops,  and  the  mountain  gateways  are  protected  by  fortresses 
almost  as  impregnable  as  the  mountains  in  which  they  are  con- 
cealed. But,  while  Great  Britain  would  be  defending  India  from 
the  incursions  of  the  Cossack  legions  of  the  Czar,  France  would 
have  seized  Tripoli  and  be  marching  an  army  agjiinst  Egypt  in  an 
effort  to  drive  John  Bull  into  the  Red  Sea.  But  in  Egypt  and  the 
Soudan,"  Great  Britain  has  control  of  40,000  troops,  with  native 
levies  to  draw  upon.  If  Spain  should  decide  to  enter  the  contest, 
its  army  might  be  used  in  an  effort  to  regain  Gibralter  from  Great 
Britain,  or  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  France  from  possible  invasion 
by  Italy.  But  the  greatest  horrors  of  such  a  war  would  only  be 
realized  if  Germany  and  its  allies  in  the  dreibund  should  decide  to 
enter  the  field.  Then  France  and  Russia  would  be  assailed  from 
each  side  by  the  armies  of  Germany,  Austria,  and  Italy.  With  the 
greater  powers  engrossed  in  war,  it  is  almost  certain  the  conflict 
would  involve  the  Balkan  States  with  Turkey,  and  the  Sultan 
would  be  compelled  to  make  his  last  stand  to  retain  his  place  on 
the  map  of  Europe.  The  enormous  sacrifice  of  life  and  paralysis 
of  all  commerce  and  industry  would  be  beyond  computation.     Hardly 


r,4  TliK  S'l'UUV  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

a  nation  engaged  in  the  contest  but  would  emerge  from  it  as  hope- 
lessly hankiupt  and  poverty-stricken  aS  is  Spain  to-day,  and  it  is 
this  aspect  of  the  situation  that  furnishes  the  surest  guarantee  for 
peace.  There  is  not  a  power  in  Europe,  Great  Britain  excepted, 
tliat  can  engage  in  war  upon  its  own  financial  resources.  Every- 
one would  have  to  borrow,  and  in  a  conflict  which  involved  all, 
to  whom  could  the  ministers  of  finance  apply? 

It  is  upon  its  navy,  however,  that  Great  Britain  would  depend 
largely  for  the  defense  of  its  sea-girt  empire.  In  India  and  Egypt, 
it  is  true.  Great  Britain's  soldiers  would  engage  in  land  campaigns 
which  would  tax  their  courage  and  endurance  to  the  utmost.  But 
in  all  other  respects  the  great  battles  of  an  international  war  would 
be  fought  upon  the  sea.  But  powerful  as  Great  Britain's  navy  is, 
it  must  be  conceded  at  the  outset  that  France  and  Russia  united, 
can  put  a  navy  to  sea  that  would  be  terribly  effective.  The  British 
navy  has  been  built  up  to  its  present  mammoth  proportions  on  the 
theory  that  some  day  it  will  have  to  defend  the  empire  against  a 
possible  coalition  of  the  European  powers.  The  fleets  in  active 
service  are  distributed  in  quarters  of  the  globe,  best  situated  to 
fight  such  a  war.  Naval  bases  have  been  located  in  view  of  such 
a  contingency. 

At  the  present  time  Great  Britain  maintains  a  powerful  squadron 
at  Gibraltar,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Mediterranean,  and  another  at 
Malta,  strong  enough  to  cope  with  the  fleets  of  any  two  powers 
that  might  be  sent  against  them.  Another  squadron  is  at  Cape 
Town.  Another  at  Colombo,  in  Ceylon,  and  one  at  Hongkong. 
Across  the  Pacific  from  Hongkong  is  a  squadron  at  Esquimalt,  on 
the  North  American  shore.  At  Halifax,  another  fleet  swings  at 
anchor,  and  there  is  yet  another  at  Bermuda,  in  the  West  Indies. 


COLONIAL  LOYALTY  455 

These  are  the  vantage  grounds  of  the  British  squadron,  but  they 
do  not  include  the  larger  fleet  kept  in  home  waters  for  the  defense 
of  the  shores  of  the  British  Islands.  The  true  strength  of  this  great 
fleet  is  an  admiralty  secret;  but  it  is  known  to  be  strong  enough 
to  protect  England  from  attack  by  any  possible  combination,  and, 
if  necessary,  to  assume  offensive  operations  in  addition. 

On  the  other  hand,  France  maintains  powerful  squadrons  at 
Cherbourg  and  Brest,  in  the  Atlantic,  and  at  Toulon,  in  the  Medit- 
erranean. Russia  has  three  great  fleets,  one  in  the  Baltic,  one  in 
the  Black  Sea,  and  the  third  at  Port  Arthur  on  the  China  station, 
Italy  has  a  navy  not  to  be  despised  in  the  Mediterranean.  Germany's 
squadrons  are  in  the  Baltic  and  North  Seas,  and  at  Kiau  Chou,  China. 

At  the  beginning  of  a  possible  war  in  which  Great  Britain 
would  be  compelled  to  face  France  and  Russia  principally,  within 
a  few  days  after  the  declaration  of  hostilities  there  would  come  a 
series  of  naval  battles  that  would  startle  the  world.  First,  the 
French  squadron  at  Toulon  would  be  compelled,  from  motives  of 
self-security,  to  form  a  juncture  with  either  the  French  squadron 
at  Brest  and  Cherburg,  or  with  the  Russian  Black  Sea  squadron 
coming  through  the  Dardanelles.  To  prevent  this  juncture,  would 
be  the  first  task  of  the  British  fleet  at  Malta,  and  the  battle  would 
be  fought  as  quickly  as  the  English  ships  could  find  the  Frenchmen. 

In  the  meantime  the  French  fleet  in  the  Atlantic  would  receive 
the  immediate  attention  of  the  British  Channel  squadron  at  Gibraltar, 
and  a  second  naval  battle  would  result.  To  prevent  Russia's 
squadron  in  the  Baltic  from  escaping  to  waters  where  it  could 
strike  a  blow,  a  powerful  squadron  would  be  detached  from  Great 
Britain's  home  fleet,  and  sent  into  the  Baltic  to  destroy,  if  possible, 
the  Czar's  warships. 


456  Tin:  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

AiXiiin,  tli(^  (lostruction  of  the  Russian  fleet  at  Port  Arthur 
would  ho  ahsolutely  necessary  to  the  safety  of  British  possessions 
in  the  Pacific,  and  the  English  warships  at  Hongkong  would  speed 
for  the  fJulf  of  Pe-chi-li  to  give  battle  for  the  control  of  the  Orient. 

These  are  the  battles  on  sea  that  would  be  almost  certain  to 
follow  within  a  few  weeks  after  such  a  war  should  begin.  What 
would  be  the  results  of  such  stupendous  naval  contests  one  can 
only  surmise.  As  a  general  proposition,  however,  it  may  be  assumed 
as  probable  that  the  British  navy  would  prove  equal  to  its  proudest 
traditions.  There  is  no  lack  of  those  who  would  prophesy  that 
the  results  of  the  initial  contests  on  the  sea  would  be  so  decisive 
that  the  powers  arrayed  against  Great  Britain  would  be  convinced 
that  all  further  efforts  to  continue  effective  warfare  would  be  fruit- 
less, and  that  the  contest  would  end  then  and  there. 

In  all  the  discussions  leading  up  to  a  possible  coalition  against 
Great  Britain,  the  probable  position  to  be  assumed  by  Japan  must 
not  be  lost  sight  of.  Japan  has  just  stepped  out  of  Oriental  medie- 
valism into  the  light  of  modern  civilization,  and,  more  than  that, 
has  ambition  to  participate  in  the  world's  affairs.  Japan  has,  within 
recent  months,  it  is  believed,  come  to  a  friendly  understanding  with 
China,  by  which  the  two  far  Eastern  nations  have  agreed  to  work 
in  closer  harmony.  Tt  is  known  at  Peking  that  China  has  signified 
a  willingness  to  transfer  the  Province  of  Swatow  to  Japan.  Aside 
from  any  territorial  interest  in  China,  however,  Japan  has  an 
instinctive  and  growing  distrust  of  Russia,  and  it  is  quite  certain 
that  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  latter  to  secure,  through 
war  or  diplomacy,  a  preponderating  influence  in  China  will  be  met 
with  evidence  of  hostility.  If  necessary,  Japan's  new  and  powerful 
navy  would  unquestionably  be  thrown  into  the  scales  on  the  British 


COLONIAL  LOYALTY  457 

side,  and  if  so  the  issue  would  be  quickly  decided  in  favor  of  the 
alliance  between  Great   Britain  and   the  Oriental  power. 

The  first  question  that  would  be  asked  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  in  the  event  of  so  stupendous  a  conflict,  would  be: 

"Where  will  America  stand?" 

The  sympathy  engendered  by  a  common  tongue,  a  common 
literature,  a  common  civilization,  might  impel  the  people  of  this 
country  to  hope  for  the  success  of  England  as  against  the  world. 
But  when  one  goes  beyond  sympathy  he  will  reach  a  domain  of 
discussion  in  which  it  would  be  not  only  difficult  but  dangerous  to 
enter.  In  the  first  place,  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  every 
power  engaged  in  the  struggle  would  make  every  endeavor  to  main- 
tain the  most  cordial  and  friendly  relations  with  the  United  States. 
It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  any  great  European  power  engaged  in 
a  life  and  death  struggle,  deliberately  provoking  so  powerful  a 
nation  as  the  United  States  into  joining  hands  with  Great  Britain, 
and  it  is  equally  impossible  to  conceive  of  the  United  States 
taking  any  part  in  the  struggle  against  Great  Britain. 

It  is  true,  unforeseen  contingencies  might  arise  which  would 
make  it  difficult  for  the  United  States  to  hold  aloof.  It  may  be 
set  down  as  certain  that  any  attempt  to  break  through  the  Monroe 
doctrine,  say,  by  an  invasion  of  Canada,  or  the  seizure  of  the  West 
India  Islands,  would  arouse  a  dangerous  sentiment  in  this  country, 
and  this  sentiment,  it  may  be  remarked,  is  one  of  the  strongest 
defenses  Great  Britain  could  have  for  the  defense  of  her  possessions 
on  the  North  American  continent. 

There  is  one  point  which  the  United  States  would  be  compelled 
to  watch  with  close  interest.  That  would  be  the  safety  and  protec- 
tion of  the  Philippines.     With  British  power  in  the  Pacific  broken 


4r,s  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

by  disaster  in  war,  some  foolhardy  nation  might  rashly  consider 
the  project  of  wresting  the  Philippine  group  from  American  con- 
trol. Sncli  a  contingency  is  so  remote  that  it  is  hardly  worth 
considering,  but  it  must  be  remembered  always  that  in  times  of 
excitement,  nations,  like  individuals,  sometimes  embark  in  enter- 
prises of  extreme  hardihood.  At  any  rate,  the  United  States  can 
rest  secure  in  the  knowledge  that  in  the  Philippines  there  is  an 
army  greater  than  any  European  power  could  possibly  bring,  and  in 
Manila  Bay  a  fleet  of  battleships,  monitors,  and  cruisers,  strong 
enough  to  cope  with  any  squadron,  any  of  the  powers  would  be  able 
to  assemble  after  the  first  and  necessary  battle  with  the  British  fleets. 
It  must  always  be  remembered  that  before  any  nation,  or  combina- 
tion of  nations,  would  dare  seek  to  attack  the  United  States,  either  at 
home  or  in  the  far  East,  the  British  fleets  must  first  be  destroyed,  and 
after  the  destruction  of  a  British  fleet,  the  enemy's  squadron  would 
be  in  poor  condition  for  another  battle. 

And,  finally,  when  the  struggle  Ayas  ended,  and  the  international 
congress  met  to  arrange  its  terms  of  peace,  the  geographers  would 
have  to  prepare  new  maps  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  There  is 
room  for  abundant  speculation  as  to  the  nature  and  extent  of  those 
changes.  If  Great  Britain,  after  an  heroic  struggle  in  self-defense, 
would  win,  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  all  Africa,  or,  at  least,  all  now 
held  by  France,  would  be  transferred  to  the  British  flag.  In  Asia, 
British  ascendency  would  be  recognized  in  Persia,  Afghanistan,  Indo- 
China,  and  the  Yang-tse-Kiang  Valley,  thus  practically  stretching  the 
British  empire  across  Africa  and  southern  Asia,  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific,  and  bringing  under  the  government  of  the  English-speak- 
ing race  a  territory  larger  than  Russia  and  Siberia. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  Great  Britain  lost  in  the  struggle,  it  would 


COLONIAL  LOYALTY  459 

seem,  almost,  that  the  British  Empire  had  been  destroyed.  No  longer 
would  England  be  in  Egypt.  South  Africa,  then,  would  in  all  proba- 
bility, be  a  confederacy,  under  Dutch  control.  Persia  and  Afghan- 
istan would  become  Russian  soil,  British  pretensions  in  China  would 
be  destroyed,  and  many  of  the  island  colonies  would  be  added  to  the 
possession  of  the  victors.  India  would,  or  would  not  fall  to  the  share 
of  Russia,  just  according  to  the  terms  of  settlement.  There  would 
likely  be  few  changes  in  Europe,  although,  if  France  were  victorious 
against  England  and  Germany,  Alsace  and  Lorraine  would  be 
restored  to  the  republic.  The  Balkan  States  would  undoubtedly 
lose  their  identity,  and  become  merged  with  Russia,  and  there  would 
be  other  and  minor  changes. 


LORD  ROBERTS. 


LORD  KITCHENER,  CHIEF  OF  STAFF. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


ORANGE    FREE   STATE 


Much  natural  curiosity  has  been  felt  regarding  the  flag  of  the 
Transvaal.  It  is  a  simple  affair,  consisting  of  one  broad  vertical 
bar  of  green  next  the  flag  pole,  and  three  horizontal  bars, 
respectively,  red,  white  and  blue,  with  the  red  at  the  top.  If  one 
should  take  the  flag  of  Holland  and  sew  a  bar  of  green  at  the  flag- 
staff end,  he  would  have  the  Boer  flag.  Those  people  speak  of 
their  flag  as  the  "vierkleur,"  the  four-color,  as  the  French  call 
their  flag  the  "tri-color."  The  flag  of  the  Orange  Free  State  is  a 
rectangle  of  vivid  orange. 

The  motto  of  the  South  African  Republic  is  "Een  Draght  Maakt 
Magt,"  which,  being  interpreted,  means  ''Right  Makes  Might."  The 
dominant  feature  of  their  coat  of  arms  is  a  vulture,  on  the  left- 
hand  quarter  a  lion  couchant,  on  the  right  an  armed  Boer  with  a 
rifle,  a  Boer  ox  wagon  filling  the  remaining  half  of  the  picture,  in 
the  center  of  which  is  an  anchor,  typifying  the  Cape  colonial 
origin  of  the  Transvaalers.  A  good  many  years  ago,  a  die  was 
made  in  Holland  for  a  government  official  in  the  Transvaal,  but 
he  refused  to  accept  it,  because  the  ox  w^agon  was  shown  with  a 
pair  of  shafts  instead  of  a  "disselboom,"  or  single  pole. 

The  most  distinctive  feature  of  the  arms  of  the  Orange  Free 
State  is  an  orange  tree  in  full  fruit.  Beneath  the  tree  on  one  side 
is  a  lion,  and  on  the  other  a  number  of  oxen,  the  whole  design 
being  completed  by  an  ox  wagon  similar  to  that  on  the  Ti'ansvaal 
arms,  and  three  suspended  horns. 

25  (463) 


li;i  TIIK  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Since  the  Orange  Free  State  cast  its  lot  unhesitatingly  with 
its  sister  republic,  and  its  burghers  fought  valiantly  in  the  war  for 
independence,  it  is  proper  in  this  place  to  give  a  brief  account  of 
its  president  and  his  predecessors.  Its  first  executive  was  Thomas 
F.  Hurgers,  a  clergyman  and  an  upright  man,  lacking,  however,  in 
[)ra('tical  sense,  and  disposed  to  dream  of  the  future  greatness  of 
his  country.  His  great  desire  was  to  see  it  provided  with  high 
schools,  colleges,  telegraphs  and  railways.  Two  years  after  his 
election,  the  legislature  sent  him  to  Europe  to  negotiate  a  loan  to 
build  a  line  to  Delagoa  Bay.  The  road  was  partly  built,  when  the 
funds  gave  out  and  the  rails  and  material  rusted  away. 

Jacob  Nicolaus  Boshof  was  the  second  president  and  quickly 
found  himself  compelled  to  deal  with  the  restless  native  Basutos. 
His  first  war  was  unsuccessful,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Martin 
Wessel  Pretorius,  a  son  of  the  distinguished  general.  Under  his 
administration,  the  country  grew  stronger  and  purchased  the  terri- 
torial rights  of  the  Griqua  Chief,  Adam  Kok.  The  next  president, 
John  H.  Brand,  elected  in  1888,  was  a  lawyer,  who  commanded 
the  respect  of  all  parties,  but  he  had  his  hands  full  with  the  war 
against  the  native  Basutos  under  Moshesh.  Great  Britain  claimed 
the  diamond  fields,  valued  at  $200,000,000,  as  British  temtory,  but 
compromised  by  paying  the  Orange  Free  State  $450,000,  with  which 
sum  President  Brand  paid  off  all  the  national  debt. 

Chief  Justice  Francis  W.  Reitz  succeeded  Mr.  Brand,  and  at 
present  is  Secretary  of  State  of  the  South  African  Republic.  The 
Orange  Free  State  prospered  greatly  under  his  administration,  and 
good  roads,  bridges  and  public  buildings  were  constructed  in  all 
parts  of  the  country.  His  health  broke  down  in  1895,  when  he 
was  succeeded   by  the  present  president,  Martin   T.   Steyn,  whose 


ORANGE  FREE  STATE  465 

sincerity  and  honesty  have  been  proven  by  his  living  up  to  the 
spirit  and  letter  of  the  treaty  of  offensive  and  defensive  alliance 
with  his  sister  republic. 

When  war  broke  out  with  Great  Britain,  President  Steyn  issued 
the  following  manifesto,  which  was  sent  broadcast  throughout  the 
civilized  world  and  was  widely  published  in  our  own  country: 

Proclamation  of  the  State  President  of  the 
Orange  Free  State. 

''Burghers  of  the  Orange  Free  State:  The  time  which  we  had  so 
much  desired  to  avoid,  the  moment  when  we  as  a  nation  are  com- 
pelled with  arms  to  oppose  injustice  and  shameless  violence,  is  at 
hand.  Our  sister  republic  to  the  north  of  the  Vaal  River  is  about 
to  be  attacked  by  an  unscruplous  enemy,  who,  for  many  years,  has 
prepared  himself  and  sought  pretexts  for  the  violence  of  which  he 
is  now  guilty,  whose  purpose  it  is  to  destroy  the  existence  of  the 
Afi'ikander  race. 

With  our  sister  republic  we  are  not  only  bound  by  ties  of 
love,  of  sympathy  and  of  common  interests,  but  also  by  a  formal 
treaty,  which  has  been  necessitated  by  circumstances.  This  treaty 
demands  of  us  that  we  assist  her  if  she  should  be  unjustly  attacked, 
which  we  unfortunately  for  a  long  time  have  had  too  much  reason 
to  expect.  We  therefore  cannot  passively  look  on  wliile  injustice 
is  done  her  and  while  also  our  own  dearly  bought  freedom  is 
endangered,  but  are  called  as  men  to  resist,  trusting  the  Almighty, 
firmly  believing  that  He  will  never  permit  injustice  and  unright- 
eousness to  triumph,  and  relying  upon  our  good  riglit  in  His  sight 
and  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world. 

Now  that  we  thus  resist  a  powerful  enemy,  with  whom  it  has 
always  been  our  honest  desire  to  live  in  friendship,  notwithstanding 


406  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

injiistico  and  wron^  done  by  him  to  us  in  the  past,  we  solemnly 
declare  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God  that  we  are  compelled 
thereto  by  the  injustice  done  to  our  kinsmen  and  by  the  conscious- 
ness that  the  end  of  their  independence  will  make  our  existence 
as  an  independent  state  of  no  significance,  and  that  their  fate, 
should  tliey  be  obliged  to  bend  under  an  overwhelming  power,  will 
also  soon  after  be  our  own  fate. 

Solemn  treaties  have  not  protected  our  sister  republic  against 
annexation,  against  conspiracy,  against  the  claim  of  an  abolished 
suzerainty,  against  continuous  oppression  and  interference,  and  now 
against  a  renewed  attack  which  aims  only  at  our  downfall. 

Our  own  unfortunate  experiences  in  the  past  have  also  made 
it  sufficiently  clear  to  us  that  we  cannot  rely  on  the  most  solemn 
promises  and  agreements  of  Great  Britain  when  she  has  at  her 
helm  a  government  prepared  to  trample  on  treaties  and  to  look 
for  feigned  pretexts  for  every  violation  of  good  faith  by  her  com- 
mitted. This  is  proved,  among  other  things,  by  the  unjust  and 
unlawful  British  intervention  after  we  had  overcome  an  armed 
and  barbarous  black  tribe  on  our  eastern  frontier,  as  also  by  the 
forcible  appropriation  of  the  dominion  over  part  of  our  territory, 
when  the  discovery  of  diamonds  has  caused  the  desire  for  this 
appropriation,  although  contrary  to  existing  treaties.  The  desire 
and  intention  to  trample  on  our  rights  as  an  independent  and 
sovereign  nation,  notwithstanding  a  solemn  convention,  existing 
between  this  State  and  Great  Britain,  have  also  been  more  than 
once  and  are  now  again  shown  by  the  present  government,  by 
giving  expression  in  public  documents  to  an  unfounded  claim  of 
paramountcy  over  the  whole  of  South  Africa,  and  therefore  also 
over  this  State. 


ORANGE  FREE  STATE  467 

With  regard  to  the  South  African  Republic,  Great  Britain  has 
moreover  refused,  until  the  present,  to  allow  her  to  regain  her 
original  position  in  respect  to  foreign  affairs,  a  position  which  she 
has  lost  in  no  sense  by  her  own  faults.  The  original  intention  of 
conventions,  to  which  the  republic  had  consented  under  pressure 
of  circumstance,  has  been  perverted,  and  has  continuall}^  been  used 
by  the  present  British  administration  as  a  means  for  the  practice 
of  tyranny  and  of  injustice,  and  among  other  things  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  revolutionary  propaganda  within  the  republic  in  favor  of 
Great  Britain, 

And  while  no  redress  has  been  offered,  as  justice  demands  for 
injustice  done  to  the  South  African  Republic  on  the  part  of  the 
British  government;  and  while  no  gratitude  is  exhibited  for  the 
magnanimity  shown  at  the  request  of  the  British  government  to 
British  subjects  who  had  forfeited,  under  the  laws  of  the  republic, 
their  lives  and  their  property,  yet  no  feeling  of  shame  has  pre- 
vented the  English  government,  now  that  gold  mines  of  immense 
value  have  been  discovered  in  the  country,  to  make  claims  on  the 
republic,  the  consequence  of  which,  if  allowed,  will  be  that  those 
who  or  whose  forefathers  have  saved  the  country  from  barbarism 
and  have  won  it  for  civilization  with  their  blood  and  their  tears, 
will  lose  that  control  over  the  interests  of  the  country  to  which 
they  are  justly  entitled  according  to  divine  and  human  laws.  The 
consequence  of  these  claims  would  be,  moreover,  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  power  will  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  those  who,  for- 
eigners by  birth,  enjoy  the  privilege  of  depriving  the  country  of 
its  chief  treasure,  while  they  have  never  shown  any  loyalty  except 
loyalty  to  a  foreign  government.  Besides,  the  inevitable  con- 
sequence of   the   acceptance   of    these  claims   would    be,    that   the 


468  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

independence  of  the  country  as  a  self-governing,  independent, 
sovereign  republic  would  be  irreparably  lost.  For  years  past, 
British  troops  in  great  numbers  have  been  placed  on  the  frontiers 
of  our  sister  republic  in  order  to  compel  her  by  fear  to  accede  to 
the  demands  which  would  be  pressed  upon  her,  and  in  order  to 
encourage  revolutionary  disturbances  and  the  cunning  plans  of 
those  whose  greed  for  gold  is  the  cause  of  their  shameless  under- 
takings. 

Those  plans  have  now  reached  their  climax  in  the  open  vio- 
lence to  which  the  present  British  government  now  resorts.  While 
we  readily  acknowledge  the  honorable  character  of  thousands  of 
Englishmen,  who  loathe  such  deeds  of  robbery  and  wrong,  we  can- 
not but  abhor  the  shameless  breaking  of  treaties,  the  feigned  pre- 
texts for  the  transgression  of  law,  the  violation  of  the  international 
law  and  of  justice  and  the  numerous  right-rending  deeds  of  the 
British  statesmen  who  now  force  a  war  upon  the  South  African 
Republic.  On  their  heads  be  the  guilt  of  blood,  and  may  a  just 
Providence  reward  all  as  they  deserve. 

Burghers  of  the  Orange  Free  State!  Rise  as  ojie  man  against  the 
oppressor  and  the  violator  of  right! 

In  the  strife  to  which  we  are  now  driven  have  care  to  commit 
no  deed  unworthy  of  a  Christian  and  of  a  burgher  of  the  Orange 
Free  State.  Let  us  look  forward  with  confidence  to  a  fortunate 
end  of  this  conflict,  trusting  to  that  Higher  Power  without  whose 
iielp  human  weapons  are  of  no  avail. 

May  He  bless  our  arms.  Under  His  banner  we  advance  to 
battle  for  liberty  and  for  fatherland! 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  great  seal  of  the  Orange  Free 
State  at  Bloemfoutein.  M.  T.  Steyn,  State  President. 


ORANGE  FREP]  STATE  469 

Pretoria,  the  capital  of  the  South  African  Republic,  was  named 
in  honor  of  the  picturesque  and  talented  old  general,  Andrius  Pre- 
torious,  who  w^as  made  commander-in-chief  of  Natal.  It  was  he 
who  originated  the  plan  of  the  rounding  up  of  wagons  in  a  ring 
or  rampaii:,  with  the  men  and  animals  inside,  whenever  attacked 
by  native  tribes.  This  method  was  used  with  great  success  in  his 
campaign  against  the  famous  Zulu  chief,  Dingan,  whose  power  was 
broken  in  a  battle  so  sanguinary  that  the  stream  upon  which  it 
was  fought  has  since  borne  the  name  of  Blood  River. 

Among  the  names  prominent  in  the  Transvaal  war  is  that  of 
John  Henry  Hofmeyr,  chairman  of  the  Cape  Town  Afrikander  Bund, 
which  exercises  an  all-powerful  influence  over  the  phms  of  the 
Dutch,  or  Afrikander  party,  which  has  more  or  less  supporters  in 
the  South  African  states.  Cape  Colony,  Natal,  Orange  Free  State 
and  the  South  African  Republic.  He  is  looked  upon  as  that  all- 
important  personage,  the  power  behind  the  throne,  in  the  movement 
which  has  in  view  the  alliance  of  the  countries  named  —  a  project 
that  looms  up  threateningly  behind  the  effort  of  Great  Britain  to 
conquer  the  Transvaal. 

General  Nicholaus  Smit  commanded  a  detachment  of  Boers  in 
1881,  who  attacked  General  Colley's  forces  near  the  Ingogo  River, 
while  on  their  way  to  Newcastle.  The  fight  was  a  furious  one  and 
lasted  until  darkness,  when,  two-thirds  of  the  English  being  dead 
or  woundctl,  the  remainder  ran  away  before  the  fierce  charge  of 
the  Boers,  made  at  dusk,  amid  a  drenching  rain  storm. 

General  Piet  Joubert,  "  Slim  Peter,"  led  the  Boers  in  the  battles 
of  1881 — Newcastle  and  Laings  Nek — while  General  Frans  Joubert 
commanded  at  Bronkhurst  Spruit.  In  these  engagements,  the 
English  loss  was  more  than  seven  luin<1i-(Ml  nion,  whilo  that  of  the 


470  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Boors  was  seventeen  killed  and  thirty  wounded.  In  the  famous 
contest  at  Majuba's  Hill,  already  referred  to,  280  of  the  British 
were  killed  outright,  or  dropped  wounded  on  the  field,  while  the 
loss  of  the  Boers  was  five  killed  and  wounded.  These  fights  included 
that  of  Jameson's  raid,  where  100  British  were  killed  and  only  five 
of  the  Boers  fell. 

We  insert  in  this  place  the  national  hymn  of  the  South  African 
Republic: 

THE  TRANSVAAL  VOLKSLIED. 

The  four- colors  of  our  dear  old  land 

Again  float  o'er  Transvaal, 
And  woe  the  God-forgetting  hand 

That  down  our  flag  would  haul ! 
Wave  higher  now  in  clearer  sky 

Our  Transvaal  freedom's  stay ! 
(Lit.,  freedom's  flag.) 
Our  enemies  with  fright  did  fly ; 

Now  dawns  a  glorious  day. 

Through  many  a  storm  ye  bravely  stood. 

And  we  stood  likewise  true  ; 
Now,  that  the  storm  is  o'er,  we  would 

Leave  nevermore  from  you 
Bestormed  by  Kafiir,  Lion,  Brit, 

Wave  ever  o'er  their  head ; 
And  then  to  spite  we  hoist  thee  yet 

Up  to  the  topmost  stead ! 

Four  long  years  did  we  beg — aye,  pray — 

To  keep  our  lands  clear,  free 
We  ask  you,  Brit,  we  loath  the  fray: 

"Go  hence,  and  let  us  be  ! 
We've  waited,  Brit,  we  love  you  not, 

To  arms  we  call  the  Boer ;  " 

(Lit.,  Now  take  we  to  our  guns.) 
You've  teased  us  long  enough,  we  troth. 

Now  wait  we  nevermore. 


ORANGE  FREE  STATE  471 

And  with  God's  help  we  cast  the  yoke 

Of  England  from  our  knee ; 
Our  country  safe — behold  and  look — 

Once  more  our  flag  waves  free  ! 
Though  many  a  hero's  blood  it  cost, 

May  all  the  nations  see 

(Lit.,  Though  England  ever  so  much  more.) 
That  God  the  Lord  redeemed  our  hosts ; 

The  glory  His  shall  be. 

Wave  high  now  o'er  our  dear  old  land, 

Wave  four-colors  of  Transvaal ! 
And  woe  the  God-forgetting  hand 

That  dares  you  down  to  haul ! 
Wave  higher  now  in  clearer  sky 

Our  Transvaal  freedom's  stay ! 
Our  enemies  with  fright  did  fly ; 

Now  dawns  a  glorious  day. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


HOPE   DEFERRED 


The  report  of  losses  in  the  engagement  at  Riefontein  farm  on 
October  24,  to  cover  General  Yule's  retreat  was:  British  loss  thirteen 
killed,  ninety-three  wounded,  three  missing;  Boers,  six  killed,  nine 
wounded.  On  the  same  day.  Major  Scott  made  a  reconnaissance  at 
Kimberley,  when  he  lost  four  killed  and  eleven  wounded.  Comman- 
dant Botha  of  Boshof  being  killed.  The  Boer  loss  was  not  given. 
The  War  Office  returns  of  British  losses  to  the  25th  of  the  month 
were:  officers,  eighteen  killed,  fifty-five  wounded;  men,  seventy-six 
killed,  435  wounded ;  missing  thirteen ;  total,  597. 

The  news  from  the  seat  of  war  on  the  last  day  in  October  was 
to  the  effect  that  the  British  movement  to  the  eastward  of  Ladysmith 
was  a  reconnaissance  in  force  which  failed  to  come  in  touch  witli 
the  main  body  of  the  Boer  army. 

Sir  George  White  expected  to  find  the  Boers  in  the  posi- 
tion revealed  by  the  captive  balloon  several  days  before.  The  right 
and  principal  column  was  composed  of  three  cavalry  regiments, 
five  battalions  of  infantry  and  had  twenty-four  field  guns;  the 
center  column  of  two  cavalry  regiments  and  four  infantry  battalions, 
with  eighteen  field  guns;  the  left  column  of  two  infantry  battalions, 
with  six  seven-pounder  screw  guns.  Emerging  from  Ladysmith, 
the  right  aud  center  columns  moved  to  assault  the  Boer  positions, 
while  the  loft  column  was  sent  to  occupy  the  hills  on  the  left  of 
the  advance.  It  turned  out,  however,  that  the  Boers  had  evacuated 
all   their   positions  during   the   niglit,  taking  with   them   the  heavy 

(473) 


471  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

j^ums  witli  which  they  had  bombarded  Ladysmith  from  Lombard's 
Kop.  The  change  in  their  positions  was  wholly  unexpected  by  the 
British  commander  who  was  disconcerted  and  compelled  to  turn 
what  was  intended  as  a  movement  of  assault  into  a  reconnaissance 
in  force.  He  did  not  have  to  hunt  long  for  the  enemy  when  he 
found  them  posted  in  large  numbers  and  well  supplied  with  artillery. 
The  result  of  the  brisk  action  that  followed  was  that  the  advan- 
tage was  with  the  Boers  and  the  British  were  obliged  to  withdraw 
and  return  to  Ladysmith  without  accomplishing  the  purpose  of 
their  advance. 

While  the  two  main  columns  w^ere  thus  fruitlessly  fighting,  the 
left  became  entangled  among  the  hills,  were  attacked  by  a  large 
force  of  Boers  and  fought  desperately,  but,  having  lost  the  greater 
part  of  their  regimental  and  reserve  ammunition  and  mountain 
artillery  equipment,  were  compelled  to  surrender  as  soon  as  their 
ammunition  was  exhausted.  The  affair  was  a  striking  proof  of  the 
danger  attending  operations  at  night  in  a  strange  country. 

Naturally  the  result  was  highly  unsatisfactory  to  the  British, 
promising  further  disadvantageous  consequences,  while  the  prestige 
of  the  Boers  was  greatly  increased  among  the  natives,  of  whose  rising 
they  had  felt  many  misgivings.  The  Boers  have  shown  an  astonishing 
quickness  to  learn  lessons,  whether  from  defeat  or  victory,  which 
they  turned  to  the  most  effective  account.  One  cause  of  surprise  to 
the  British  was  the  mobility  of  their  artillery,  for  the  general  belief 
was  that  it  would  be  ineflficieutly  served  and  prove  an  incumbrance 
rather  than  a  help. 

A  striking  display  of  the  activity  of  the  Boers  occuiTed  on 
Monday,  when  it  was  discovered  that  they  were  back  in  their  former 
positions    that    had    been    found    evacuated   the    day   before,   and, 


HOPE  DEFERRED  475 

from  the  accounts  of  this  battle,  had  the  Boers  been  alert  and 
seized  the  opportunity  offered  them,  they  could  have  inflicted  a 
still  greater  disaster  upon  the  British  arms.  There  was  one  moment 
during  the  fighting,  at  the  time  the  three  infantry  battalions  of  the  cen- 
ter column  were  sent  to  reinforce  the  right  and  one  of  its  brigades  fell 
back  in  disorder  on  its  artillery,  when  the  center  column  was  wholly 
at  the  mercy  of  the  Boers  and  the  retreat  of  the  right  could  have 
been  cut  off.  Had  this  chance  been  seized  the  blow  would  have  been 
overwhelming  and  decisive. 

The  War  Office  report  gave  in  addition  to  the  list  of  killed  and 
wounded,  placed  at  272,  some  465  missing  besides  those  belonging  to 
the  left  column,  who  were  taken  prisoners.  Colonel  Grimwood's 
brigade  of  the  right  column  was  not  only  compelled  to  make  a  pre- 
cipitate retreat,  but  lost  its  ammunition.  It  was  clear,  therefore, 
that  the  heaviest  fighting  of  the  day  was  on  that  part  of  the  field 
south  of  the  Helpmakaar  road,  the  number  of  killed  and  wounded 
being  so  large  that  an  armistice  became  necessary  to  attend  to  the 
burying  of  the  dead  and  carrying  off  of  the  wounded. 

Passing  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  Orange  Free  State, 
the  movements  indicated  active  operations  on  the  part  of  the  British, 
with  a  view  of  relieving  the  pressure  upon  Ladysmith,  by  drawing 
the  attention  of  the  Free  State  forces  on  the  Van  Reenen's  Pass 
road  from  that  side.  The  Free  State  commandos  were  at  that  time 
encamped  near  Norval's  Point,  protecting  the  railway  bridge,  1,690 
feet  in  length,  which  crosses  the  Orange  River,  on  the  line  connect- 
ing Port  Elizabeth  and  Bloemfontein.  Another  strong  force  of 
Boers  were  at  Bethulie,  covering  the  bridge  1,486  feet  long,  on  the 
East  London-Bloemfontein  line,  with  still  another  force  at  Rouxville 
in  command  of  the  bridge,  840  feet  long,  which  crosses  the  Orange 
River  at  Aliwai  North. 


47i;  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Sir  Alfred  Milner,  the  British  liigh  commissioner  in  South 
Africa,  oflicially  reported  the  annexation  of  the  territory  north  of 
the  Orange  and  Vaal  rivers,  between  the  Transvaal  and  the  Ger- 
man West  African  protectorate.  This  was  an  important  step,  since 
it  placed  at  the  command  of  the  Transvaal  several  thousand 
mounted  burghers,  of  whom  a  number  had  already  taken  part  in  the 
operations  against  Kimberley  and  Mafeking. 

A  telegram  dated  November  2  was  received  in  London  from 
Pietermaritzburg  announcing  that  the  women  and  children  had 
been  sent  away  from  Ladysmith,  and  it  was  apparent  that  Sir 
George  White  was  determined  to  make  a  desperate  defense.  At 
the  same  time,  it  appeared  that  the  Boer  forces  were  extending 
their  lines  to  the  southward  with  the  object  of  completely  isolating 
the  city.  The  Boers  occupied  Colenso,  thereby  adding  to  the  grave 
danger  of  the  garrison  of  Ladysmith,  thus  shutting  off  all  commu- 
nication by  rail  or  wire  with  the  city.  Reinforcements  were  reported 
to  be  coming  down  through  Zululand  and  they  could  not  fail  to 
form  an  important  addition  to  the  command  of  General  Joubert. 
Another  important  advantage  gained  by  the  Boers  was  that  of 
impressing  the  observant  Zulus  with  the  strength  they  had  dis- 
played, 

A  brilliant  exploit  of  the  garrison  was  performed  on  Thursday, 
November  2,  when  a  force  composed  of  cavalry,  artillery  and 
infantry  dashed  out  of  the  town  and  struck  a  blow  at  the  Boers, 
the  point  assailed  being  the  camp  of  the  Free  Staters  at  Bester's 
Hill,  on  the  road  leading  to  Van  Reenen's  Pass.  The  Boers,  after  a 
brisk  defense,  were  driven  out.  The  news  of  these  movements  was 
sent  from  Ladysmith  by  carrier  pigeons.  But  for  this  means  of 
communication  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  secure  any  definite 


HOPE  DEFERRED  477 

information    of   the    city   and    its    garrison,    respecting    whom    the 
greatest  anxiety  prevailed  in  Europe. 

The  proof  that  Great  Britain  had  an  exceedingly  difficult  and 
costly  task  on  her  hands  became  more  manifest  every  day.  The 
state  commandos  advanced  upon  Cape  Colony  and  the  peril  of  a 
general  uprising  among  the  Afrikander  population  became  imminent. 
As  a  precautionary  measure,  the  British  destroyed  the  railway 
bridge  across  the  Orange  River  at  Hopetown,  on  the  railway 
between  Kimberley  and  De  Aar,  thus  effectually  closing  one  of  the 
most  important  avenues,  by  which  it  was  expected  to  send  help  to 
Kimberley  from  that  side.  The  Boers  destroyed  the  bridge  over 
the  Colesburg  River,  twelve  miles  from  the  town  of  that  name, 
and  tore  up  nearly  twenty  miles  of  the  line  south  of  Xorval's 
Point,  wdiose  approaches  were  mined.  It  was  reported  that  the 
Boers  had  occupied  Gaberones  in  the  direction  of  Rhodesia. 

The  British,  after  evacuating  Colenso,  prepared  to  make  a  stand 
at  Estcourt,  covering  the  railway  coming  from  the  pass  through 
the  Mooi  range  of  hills  north  of  Pietermaritzburg.  The  Boers  dis- 
played great  activity,  often  overturning  the  plans  of  campaign  of 
their  enemies.  From  the  chaff  of  rumors  and  exaggerated  reports, 
the  wheat  was  found  to  be  that  the  fighting  on  the  second  and  third 
of  November  was  in  the  nature  of  skirmishing.  The  Boer  big  gun, 
which  was  repeatedly  reported  disabled,  was  soon  in  active  service 
again,  it  being  chiefly  aimed  at  the  forts  and  the  British  naval 
guns.  The  Boers  held  their  former  positions,  though  the  invest- 
ment was  not  strict  enough  to  prevent  several  excursions  l>eing 
made  to  the  westward.  The  General  at  Estcourt  sent  the  follow- 
ing dispatch  through  the  Governor  of  Natal: 

"November  6.     Since   Friday   there    has   been   a   cessation    of 


478  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

hostilities.  A  note  was  sent  on  that  day  to  General  Joubert  by 
General  White,  asking  permission  for  the  non-combatants  and  the 
sick  and  wounded  to  go  south.  Joubert  refused  to  grant  the  request, 
but  agreed  to  allow  them  to  go  to  a  special  camp  four  miles  from 
Ladysmith. 

"The  townspeople  refused  to  accept  this  offer.  The  sick  and 
wounded  and  a  few  of  the  inhabitants  moved  yesterday.  A  few 
shots  were  exchanged  yesterday  between  outposts.  Friday's  bom- 
bardment was  heavy.  Shells  fell  in  the  hospital  and  one  burst  in 
the  hotel  during  luncheon.     No  one  was  injured. 

"The  only  casualty  in  the  town  from  the  shells,  up  to  the 
present  time,  was  one  Kaffir  killed  last  Wednesday. 

"  On  Friday  there  was  a  smart  action  toward  Dewdrop  (the  rail- 
way station  for  Ladysmith).  The  troops  under  Colonel  Brocklehurst 
drove  the  Boers  back  a  considerable  distance  and  disabled  one  gun. 

"There  was  also  figliting  near  Bulwana.  Our  loss  altogether 
was  eight  killed  and  about  twenty  wounded. 

"Ninety-eight  of  our  wounded,  who  were  sent  here,  have  arrived 
and  are  doing  well. 

"Our  position  here  is  now  believed  to  be  entirely  safe.  It  has 
been  greatly  strengthened  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours.  The 
people  have  deserted  their  dwellings  and  are  living  in  bomb-proof 
places.     There  are  plenty  of  good  stores  of  all  kinds." 

General  Sir  Redvers  Buller  arrived  at  Capetown  on  the  trans- 
port Dunottar  Castle  on  the  31st  of  October.  An  enormous  crowd 
cheered  him  as  he  was  driven  in  an  open  carriage  to  the  Govern- 
ment House,  where  he  was  received  with  a  salute  of  seventeen 
guns.  He  sailed  from  Southampton  on  October  14  to  assume 
command  of  the  British  forces  in  South  Africa. 


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HOPE  DEFERRED  481 

When  a  disaster  befalls  the  arms  of  any  country,  it  is  natural 
to  try  and  fix  the  blame.  It  often  happens  that  those  thus  censured 
are  unjustly  condemned,  but  the  impatient  people  must  have  some 
one  to  be  held  accountable  for  the  misfortune.  The  frank  avowul 
of  General  White,  in  which  he  declared  that  the  failure  was  wliolly 
due  to  him,  and  to  no  one  else,  disarmed  criticism  to  a  certain 
extent,  and  caused  much  sympathy  for  him.  A  good  many,  includ- 
ing the  service  publications,  held  that  he  was  less  responsible  than 
be  made  out,  and  that  the  least  that  could  be  honorably  done  was 
to  suspend  judgment  until  all  the  facts  were  learned.  The  Naval 
and  Militanj  Record  said: 

"Considering  the  nature  of  the  country,  the  lamentable  unpre- 
paredness  of  England  and  the  unwillingness  of  the  opposition  to  allow 
a  British  regiment  to  go  to  South  Africa  until  President  Kruger's 
ultimatum  was  received,  it  is  almost  surprising  that  we  have  been 
able  to  hold  our  own  so  far.  Not  only  have  the  Boers  proved 
themselves  determined  fighters  and  splendid  sharpshooters,  as  we 
knew  them  to  be,  but  they  have  developed  surprising  military  and 
strategic  qualities.  They  have  nearly  surrounded  every  garrison  we 
hold  and  have  invariably  occupied  almost  unassailable  positions, 
fighting  with  great  courage.  Against  such  fighters  our  little  force, 
left  isolated  far  from  our  base  and  without  hope  of  relief  for  days 
to  come,  has  not  only  done  splendid  work,  but  has  gained  successes 
which  we  venture  to  believe  no  other  soldiers  in  the  world  placed 
in  similar  positions  and  in  similar  unfortunate  conditions  could  have 
achieved." 

With  the  disheartening  news  from  the  seat  of  war  and  the 
general  misgivings  concerning  foreign  interference,  Crreat  Britain 
surely    had    enough    trouble    to    cause    anxiety.     It    is    the    latter 

26 


482  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

question  which  is  of  far-reaching  importance.  At  the  Lord  Mayor's 
banquet  in  London  on  the  evening  of  November  9,  Lord  Wolseley, 
Commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  announced  that  orders  had  been 
issued  for  the  formation  of  another  division,  which  would  be  sent 
to  South  Africa,  and  he  added  that,  if  found  necessary,  the  Second 
Army  Corps  would  be  mobilized. 

Lord  Salisbury,  Prime  Minister,  spoke  words  for  which  it  may 
be  said  the  nation  was  intently  listening  and  which  caused  vast 
encouragement,  He  deprecated  certain  criticisms  and  statements 
which  he  said  were  not  well  founded.  There  was  a  feeling  that  the 
lack  of  troops  was  due  to  want  of  action  on  the  part  of  the 
government. 

"  It  was  stated  abroad,"  said  he,  "  that  we  were  a  strong  nation 
attacking  a  weak  one.  But,  surely,  as  our  forces  are  so  far  distant, 
it  would  be  nearer  the  truth  to  say  that  we  were  a  weak  nation 
attacking  a  strong  one. 

"  What  was  the  cause  of  the  war  and  the  Boer  ultimatum  ?  It 
was  said  that  it  was  because  we  had  taken  measures  to  increase 
our  force  in  South  Africa.  If  we  had  increased  this  force  earlier, 
the  Transvaal  ultimatum  would  have  been  sent  earlier.  The  real 
cause  dated  back  to  the  unfortunate  arrangements  of  1881,  whereby 
we  permitted  a  community  admittedly  hostile  to  us  to  enjoy  the 
rights  of  accumulating  unbounded  munitions  of  war. 

"Our  troops  are  now  beginning  to  arrive  in  South  Africa. 
Foreign  nations  have  complimented  us  on  the  coolness  with  which 
we  have  received  news  of  checks.  But  we  knew  that  checks  were 
always  possible  at  the  outset." 

Lord  Salisbury  declared  that  his  faith  in  the  British  soldier  was 
unbounded.    "I  must   deprecate,"  said   he,  "such   strong  assertions 


HOPE  DEFERRED  483 

as  that  the  war  had  for  its  object  greed  for  a  share  of  the  gold 
and  diamond  mines.  England  would  derive  no  advantage  from  the 
possession  of  these  mines. 

"Every  industry  that  was  successfully  prosecuted  bred  commerce 
and  that,  of  course,  w?4,s  to  the  adavntage  of  England.  That  was 
all  we  desired.  We  sought  neither  the  gold  territory  nor  the  diamond 
mines,  but  equal  rights  for  all  men.  It  cannot  be  doubtod  that  we 
shall  so  arrange  the  issue  of  the  conflict  as  to  confer  good  govern- 
ment on  the  area  concerned  and  give  that  security  which  is  solely 
needed  against  the  recurrence  of  any  such  strife  in  that  portion  of 
the  world." 

Lord  Salisbury  characterized  as  wild  the  suggestions  that  foreign 
powers  would  interfere  in  the  present  conflict  and  would  dictate 
in  some  way  the  manner  in  which  it  would  be  terminated.  "Do 
not  let  any  man  think,"  he  continued,  "that  it  is  in  that  fasliion 
that  this  conflict  will  be  concluded.  We  will  have  to  carry  it 
through  ourselves  and  no  interference  will  have  any  effect;  in  the 
first  place,  because  we  shall  not  accept  such  interference  quietly, 
and  in  the  second  place  because  I  am  convinced  that  there  is  no 
such  idea  in  the  mind  of  any  government  in  the  world.  There  have 
been  within  my  memory  five  or  six  great  wars  involving  territorial 
modification,  but,  except  as  provided  by  treaties,  in  none  of  these 
cases  has  a  third  power  ventured  to  interfere  either  in  the  campaign 
or  in  the  terms  of  settlement.  The  powers  have  not  <-laiino(l  tlie 
right  to  interfere  because  they  knew  that  according  to  intornati(jnal 
law  they  did  not  possess  any  such  right.  Dreams  of  tliat  kind, 
therefore,  should  be  dismissed  as  no  more  than  dreams. 

"Wherever  we  are  victorious  we  shall  consult  the  vast  interests 
committed  to  our  care  and  the  vast  duties   we    have    to   perform. 


484  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Wo  sluill  take  counsel  of  the  uniform  traditions  of  our  Colonial 
government  and  maintain  that  equal  justice  to  all  races  which  it 
lias  been  our  uniform  practice  to  observe." 

It  was  on  November  8  that  Colenso  was  occupied  by  the  Boers. 
The  town,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  in  Natal,  on  the  Tugela  River, 
and  its  occupation  fixed  the  Boers  at  a  vital  point  in  the  British 
communication  by  rail  with  Ladysmith  across  the  Tugela.  They 
had  previously  occupied  Pomeroy,  on  the  road  connecting  Dundee 
through  Helnmakaar  with  Greytown,  and  had  also  strongly  guarded 
their  left  flank.  The  occupation  of  Colenso  closed  the  retreat  of  Sir 
George  White  by  railway,  while  at  the  same  time  the  Boers  were 
in  a  position  to  check  the  advance  of  a  column  to  his  relief,  and 
they  were  enabled  to  bring  their  own  entire  force  against  Ladysmith. 

The  crossing  of  the  Orange  River  by  the  Free  Staters  and  the 
destruction  of  the  railway  lines  and  bridges  toward  Colesburg, 
Stormberg  Junction  and  other  points  rendered  it  necessary  to 
strengthen  the  British  garrison  at  De  Aar,  in  order  to  preserve 
communications  with  the  southern  part  of  Cape  Colony  and  the 
coast. 

Public  feeling  in  England  demanded  that  the  first  and  supreme 
effort  of  General  Sir  Red  vers  Buller  was  to  be  the  relief  of  Lady- 
smith. The  military  critic  pronounced  this  bad  military  tactics 
for  it  was  virtually  playing  into  the  hands  of  the  Boers.  Instead 
of  fighting  the  decisive  campaign  in  the  spacious  veldt  above  the 
Orange  River,  it  was  likely  to  be  among  the  rough  hills  of  Natal, 
where  the  Boers  could  choose  their  own  battleground  and  bring 
into  full  play  their  deadly  marksmanship. 

While  the  nation  took  courage  from  the  assurances  of  Lord 
Salisbury  that  there  would   be  no  foreign  intervention,  the   more 


HOPE  DEFERRED  485 

thoughtful  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  possibility  of  an  attack  upon 
Great  Britain's  interests  in  the  far  East  or  at  other  points  uhile 
her  energies  were  engrossed  by  the  war  in  the  Transvaal. 

One  keen  cause  of  exasperation  was  the  delay  and  the  unrelia- 
bility of  the  news  from  the  seat  of  war.  There  were  many  explana- 
tions offered  for  this,  such  as  the  breaking  down  or  overloading  of 
the  cable,  but  the  censoring  of  the  dispatches  was  as  stupid  as  our 
own  during  the  war  with  Spain,  which  is  saying  a  great  deal.  The 
worst  of  it  was  that  many  of  the  seemingly  important  dispatches 
had  not  the  slighest  basis  of  truth.  Thus  it  was  stated  in  huge 
headlines  that  there  had  been  a  battle  in  which  the  Boers  lost  in 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners  fully  2,000  men,  and  it  was  claimed 
that  one  of  their  leading  generals  had  been  captured.  Nothing 
resembling  either  of  these  incidents  occurred.  This  was  not  the 
first  instance  of  such  falsification  and  naturally  it  was  not  lon» 
before  the  public  came  to  look  upon  the  dispatches  with  suspicion. 
J.  B.  Robinson,  the  well-known  South  African  millionaire,  is  one 
of  the  ])est  of  living  authorities  on  all  subjects  relating  to  that 
portion  of  the  Dark  Continent.  When  he  was  asked  concerning 
these  contradictory  reports,  he  replied : 

"  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  from  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence of  Boer  warfare,  that  England  has  never  yet  encountered  a 
body  of  men  who  will  fight  with  such  tenacity  and  such  dire  results 
as  the  Boer  army.  It  must  be  remembered  that  tliese  people  are 
fighting  with  a  determination  to  gain  the  ascendency  throughout 
South  Africa,  and  their  proclamations  annexing  British  territory 
clearly  indicate  that  they  are  resolved  to  establish  themselves  as 
the  paramount  power. 

"The  numbers   of   the   forces   given    as    constituting   the   two 


4sr.  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

aniiios  of  tlie  Transvaal  and  the  Orange  Free  State  are  grossly 
exaggerated.  I  maintain  that  the  two  Republics  cannot  put  more 
tlian  23,000  or  25,000  men  in  the  field,  but  they  may  have  the  addi- 
tion of  3,000  mercenaries.  They  are  all  splendidly  armed,  and  the 
artillery  forms  an  important  element  of  the  armaments.  The 
Transvaal  has  expended  vpithin  three  years  about  three  millions  in 
armament  and  in  equipping  its  own  and  the  Free  State's  burghers. 
I  know  that  cannon  were  sent  by  the  Transvaal  to  the  Orange  Free 
State,  and  every  preparation  was  made  to  carry  on  the  struggle 
with  the  utmost  determination.  The  Natal  country  is  well  adapted 
to  the  Boer  tactics." 

The  first  fighting  in  connection  with  the  relief  of  Kimberley 
occurred  on  November  10,  some  nine  miles  Avest  of  Belmont,  which 
is  a  station  twenty  miles  north  of  the  Orange  River,  and  on  the 
railway  to  Kimberley.  The  British,  who  held  the  bridge  strongly, 
sent  out  a  reconnoitering  force  which  came  in  collision  with  the 
Boers  at  the  place  referred  to.  In  the  fight  that  followed,  the 
British  lost,  in  killed  and  wounded,  four  oflBcers  and  two  soldiers.  The 
railway  bridge  which  spanned  the  Modderspruit  thirty-five  miles 
above  Belmont  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Boers,  so  that  any  relief 
sent  over  that  line  would  have  to  overcome  this  serious  obstruction. 

The  reports  that  filtered  through  the  investing  lines  from 
Kimberley  were  vague.  It  became  known  that  the  garrison  and 
inhabitants  were  on  short  rations,  and  a  dispatch  to  the  War  OflSce 
stated  that  one  of  the  outposts  at  the  waterworks  had  disappeared, 
which  looked  very  much  as  if  it  had  been  captured  by  the  Boers. 
The  reports  further  said  that  Boer  patrols  had  been  seen  in  the 
vicinity  of  De  Aar,  and  strong  commandos  had  crossed  the  Orange 
River  at  Bethulie  and  Aliwal  North. 


HOPE  DEFERRED  487 

Pietermaritzburg  was  known  to  be  in  danger,  and  the  British 
put  forth  the  utmost  exertion  to  place  it  in  a  condition  of  defense. 
The  special  fear  was  that  of  the  burgher  force  under  the  command 
of  General  Schalk-Burger,  which  was  reported  as  approaching  through 
Zululand. 

No  one  could  doubt  that  the  situation  of  Ladysmith  was  critical. 
The  hope  was  general  that  relief  would  reach  General  White  by  the 
close  of  the  month,  but  the  principal  fear  was  of  the  breaking  out 
of  malarial  fever  among  the  garrison,  because  of  its  being  compelled 
to  use  the  muddy  water  of  the  Klip  River,  which  runs  through  the 
town.  One  of  the  eventualities  which  some  military  critics  in  Eng- 
land looked  upon  as  possible,  was  that  Ladysmith  would  hold  out 
long  enough  for  General  Joubert's  army  to  be  caught  between  two 
fires,  thus  compelling  him  to  retreat  with  the  loss  of  all  his  artil- 
lery, and  this  would  be  the  "beginning  of  the  end." 

Signs  of  unrest  among  the  natives  caused  the  organization  of 
a  strong  commando  in  the  north  of  the  Transvaal,  and  a  place  of 
refuge  was  chosen  in  the  Zoutpansberg  district  in  one  of  the  old 
native  fastnesses,  to  which  the  women  and  children  could  be  sent. 
The  South  African  Company's  police  in  Rhodesia  had  their  arms 
carefully  examined  and  placed  in  the  best  of  order  against  the 
same  grave  peril. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


THE    DISADVANTAGES    OF    VICTORY 


No  higher  type  of  human  heroism  has  ever  been  seen  than 
that  displayed  by  the  British  soldier  and  sailor.  In  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  the  population  of  Great  Britain  and  Wales  was  about 
double  that  of  her  American  colonies,  and  at  no  time  did  England 
have  50,000  soldiers  in  America.  And  yet,  though  she  was  at  war 
with  France,  Spain  and  Holland  l)efore  the  close  of  the  struggle, 
the  United  States  should  have  failed  but  for  the  help  of  France. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  when  the  British  troops  had  been  trained 
to  the  highest  point  of  efficiency  in  the  struggle  against  Napoleon, 
the  United  States  won  precious  little  glory  (New  Orleans  being  the 
only  conspicous  example)  on  the  land,  while  the  brilliant  exploits 
of  both  navies  filled  the  world  with  wonder.  A  generation  later, 
England  maintained  her  prestige  in  tlie  Crimea,  against  the  legions 
of  Russia,  since  which  period  she  has  fought  many  wars,  but  none 
with  those  of  her  own  race,  until  her  struggle  with  the  Boers. 

Edgar  S.  Maclay  in  his  History  of  the  American  Navy  says 
the  reason  why  the  British  suffered  some  defeats  on  the  sea  in  LSI 2, 
while  her  seasoned  land  forces  were  doing  splendid  work,  was 
because  of  the  great  confidence  of  the  British  officers.  For  twenty 
years  they  had  been  waging  a  naval  warfare  against  France,  whose 
discipline  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Revolution.  This  had  extended 
so  far  that  the  captain  was  styled  "  citizen  captain"  and  there  was  a 
total  lack  of  real  discipline  on  the  French  frigates.  The  English  had 
also    been    fighting    against    the    Spaniards,    whose     deficiency    in 

(489) 


490  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

sustained  vulor  was  shown  recently  in  the  Spanish-American  war. 
The  easy  victories  of  the  English  hurt  the  British  sailor  for  battle 
against  Anglo-Saxons,  and  those  of  his  own  blood,  and  it  was  only 
in  the  natural  order  of  things,  that  when  their  superb  warships 
encountered  our  own,  that  the  contest  should  be  exceedingly  bitter. 

England's  mighty  navy  enables  her  to  hold  her  supremacy  on 
the  sea,  but,  as  has  been  stated,  her  soldiers  have  fought  only 
black,  yellow  or  brown  men,  for  nearly  a  half  century,  with  the 
result  that,  in  some  respects,  she  has  really  suffered  from  her  many 
victories.  This  can  be  illustrated  by  a  summary  of  the  wars  in 
which  Great  Britain  has  been  engaged  since  that  of  the  Crimea, 
which  ended  in  1856. 

It  was  only  a  year  later  that  the  appalling  Sepoy  mutiny 
broke  out  in  India.  Then  it  was  that  the  English  soldier  showed 
his  thrilling  heroism,  his  capacity  to  bear  hardship  and  suffering, 
and  his  readiness  to  face  death  in  every  conceivable  form  for  the 
sake  of  his  country  and  of  humanity.  Through  that  pestilential 
region,  smitten  by  cholera,  throbbing  with  infernal  heat,  and 
arrayed  against  a  devilish  fanaticism,  the  soldiers  swept  like  a 
cyclone,  releasing  Cawnpore,  Lucknow  and  Delhi  from  the  grip  of 
the  tiger,  and  restoring  peace  and  order  to  a  country  whose  native 
population  is  five  times  that  of  England. 

All  admit  that  the  British  flag  means  a  good  deal  in  this 
world.  Let  an  English  tramp  be  kicked  a  little  too  hard  from  the 
door  of  an  official  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe,  and  let  the  sub- 
ject make  his  grievance  known  to  the  British  consul.  The  next 
step  in  the  programme  is  the  arrival  of  British  force,  with  notice 
to  the  offending  official  that  he  has  the  choice  of  apologizing  to 
the    offended    subject    and     paying    him    a    handsome    indemnity, 


THE  DISxVDVANTAGES  OF  VICTORY  491 

or  of  having  his  town  knocked  about  his  ears  by  the  guns  of  the 
warships. 

In  1856,  a  Canton  river  boat  was  seized  and  the  crew  disci- 
plined. The  boat  was  flying  the  British  flag,  but,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  had  no  right  to  do  so,  and  its  purpose  in  hoisting  it  was  to 
conceal  and  aid  a  band  of  Chinese  pirates.  Technically,  however, 
the  British  flag  had  been  insulted  and  the  consul  would  not  be 
placated.  The  quarrel  grew  into  a  war,  and  Sir  Michael  Seymour 
bombarded  Canton  from  October  23  to  November  13,  while  an 
infantry  force  made  demonstrations  near  the  city. 

The  course  of  England  in  this  matter  was  criticised  at  home, 
and  there  was  so  much  dissatisfaction  over  the  action  of  the  British 
representatives  in  China,  who,  it  is  alleged,  were  acting  under 
the  instructions  of  their  government,  that  on  motion  of  Mr.  Cobden, 
the  House  of  Commons  passed  a  vote  of  censure,  whereupon  Lord 
Palmerston's  ministry  dissolved  Parliament,  appealed  to  the  country 
to  stand  by  its  sailors  and  soldiers,  and  was  overwhelmingly 
replaced  in  power. 

Poor,  miserable  China  soon  discovered  that  France  had  been 
offended  by  the  ill  treatment  of  some  of  her  missionaries.  England 
let  China  alone  during  the  time  of  the  Sepoy  mutiny,  but  in  the 
latter  part  of  1857,  she  joined  France  in  an  attack  upon  Canton, 
which  was  captured,  including  the  Chinese  Commissioner,  Yeh.  A 
treaty  resulted  with  England  and  France,  highly  advantageous  to 
each. 

In  June,  1859,  English  and  French  representatives  set  out  for 
Pekin  to  exchange  ratifications  of  the  treaty  with  the  Emperor's 
representatives.  The  fleet  acting  as  an  escort  to  the  foreign  repre- 
sentatives,   was    fired    upon    when    ascending   the    river,    and    the 


492  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

expedition  forced  to  withdraw.  The  following  year,  the  two  Euro- 
pean powers  sent  their  representatives  with  a  strong  force  to  compel 
obedience  to  the  provisions  of  the  treaty,  one  of  which  was  that 
the  foreign  ambassadors  should  be  admitted  to  Pekin.  The  Chinese 
made  a  brave  resistance,  but  could  not  withstand  the  vastly  superior 
armament  l)rought  against  their  antiquated  forts  and  means  of 
defense.  In  this  business,  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  won  distinction  and 
the  conquerors  were  granted  everything  they  demanded. 

Somewhat  earlier  than  these  occurrences,  the  British  minister 
to  Persia  had  a  quarrel  with  the  Shah's  government,  in  consequence 
of  which  General  Outram  and  General  Havelock  entered  northern 
Persia  with  a  powerful  column,  whereupon  Persia  made  haste  to 
grant  every  demand  of  England. 

The  Sepoy  mutiny  referred  to  spread  to  Afghanistan  where  the 
fanatical  population  thought  the  opportunity  too  good  to  be  lost. 
The  Indian  tribes  on  the  frontier  were  incited  to  rebellion  by 
Russian  agents  on  the  other  side  of  the  country,  and  there  has 
been  tension  between  them  and  the  English  for  most  of  the  century. 
In  the  latter  part  of  1859,  a  British  expedition  was  sent  against 
the  Kabul  Kheyl  Wuzzerees,  and  a  second,  some  months  later 
against  the  Mahsood  Wuzzerees.  The  flames  of  resistance  were 
fanned  by  the  fugitive  Sepoys  and  Hindu  devotees,  and  a  number 
of  border  raids  were  made. 

In  October,  1863,  when  the  state  of  affairs  had  become  intoler- 
able, the  Punjaub  government  sent  thither  a  column  of  6,000  men, 
with  nineteen  guns,  who,  upon  entering  the  Umbeyla  Pass  in 
October,  encountered  furious  resistance.  A  fortnight  later,  2,000 
natives  attacked  an  advance  post  on  a  pinnacle  so  small  that  only 
110  soldiers  could  find  footing  on  it,  w^hile  about  the  same  number 


THE  DISADVANTAGES  OF  VICTORY  493 

were  posted  at  the  base.  A  fierce  fight  raged  one  whole  afternoon, 
resulting  in  the  defeat  of  the  natives  who  left  the  ground  covered 
with  their  dead.  Of  the  British,  three  officers  and  twenty-six  men 
were  killed,  and  nine  officers  and  eighty-six  men  wounded. 

The  news  of  the  teriffic  fight  was  carried  to  the  neighboring 
tribes  who  came  swarming  over  the  hills,  determined  that  not  one 
of  the  foreigners  should  escape  alive.  In  a  brief  time,  15,000  of 
the  tribesmen  were  encamped  near  the  outlet  of  the  pass,  and 
attacked  by  turns  with  the  utmost  ferocity  of  the  gallant  little 
band.  Armed  only  with  spears,  they  frequently  fought  their  way 
into  the  breastworks,  where  they  were  shot  down  and  bayoneted. 
The  fighting  lasted  at  intervals  for  three  weeks,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  the  defenders  were  relieved  and  the  sullen   natives  withdrew. 

Resolved  to  teach  the  barbarians  a  needed  lesson,  a  force  of 
7,800  men  in  December,  set  out  to  capture  the  principal  fortress 
on  a  hill  near  the  entrance  to  the  pass.  It  was  so  steep  that  it 
resembled  the  side  of  a  house,  and  was  encircled  by  a  number  of 
stone  breastworks.  One  of  the  attacking  columns  lined  the  sur- 
rounding ridges  with  infantry  and  artillery,  and  the  charge  straight 
up  the  hill  was  covered  with  another  column.  The  amazing 
audacity  of  the  assault  threw  the  tribesmen  into  a  panic,  and, 
flinging  down  their  weapons,  they  fled  for  their  lives,  leaving 
more  than  400  killed  and  wounded,  that  of  the  British  being  83. 
In  quickness  and  sharpness,  this  action  has  not  been  surpassed 
in  modern  times.  The  blow  was  a  severe  one,  and  the  natives 
retired  to  their  homes,  after  making  a  treaty  not  to  go  uj)on  any 
more  border  raids. 

At  different  times  from  1863  to  1880,  similar  expeditious  were 
sent   against   the   ^lohmunds,    and    into    Bhootan,    Lushai    and    the 


41)4  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Naga  Hills.  It  was  in  the  year  last  named,  that  Lord  Roberts,  of 
Kandahar,  appointed  in  December,  1899,  to  the  chief  command  in 
South  Africa,  won  liis  peerage  in  Afghanistan.  This  fighting  was 
much  of  the  same  character  as  that  of  our  own  against  the  Indians 
on  the  frontier.  While  it  gave  no  training  in  regular  warfare-,  a 
sentinel  learned  that  it  was  sure  death  to  be  neglectful,  even  for  a 
brief  time,  while  on  duty. 

The  Abyssinian  campaign  was  an  extraordinary  one.  In  1855, 
Lij  Kasa,  who  had  spent  several  years  in  a  convent  on  the  Blue 
Nile,  conceived  that  he  had  a  mission  to  build  up  a  Christian 
dynasty  in  Abyssinia,  and  he  proclaimed  himself  "Theodore,  King 
of  the  Kings  of  Ethiopia."  This  project  was  more  or  less  encour- 
aged by  the  English  consul.  Theodore  wrote  a  letter  to  Queen 
Victoria  in  1861,  and  sent  it  through  Captain  Cameron,  the  succeed- 
ing British  consul.  In  the  letter  he  dwelt  with  rude  eloquence  on 
his  mission,  but  said  he  was  lacking  in  the  means  of  carrying  it 
into  effect,  and  he  begged  that  the  Queen  would  provide  him  with 
arms  and  the  sinews  of  war. 

When  Captain  Cameron  returned  to  his  post,  in  January,  1864, 
he  found  Theodore  very  angry  because  he  had  received  no  answer 
to  his  letter.  In  truth  it  never  went  further  than  the  foreign 
office,  which  did  not  think  enough  of  it  to  deliver  it  to  the  Queen, 
or  indeed  to  pay  any  attention  at  all  to  it. 

There  is  no  record  in  history  of  such  momentous  consequences 
following  the  failure  of  a  lady  to  answer  a  missive  addressed  to  her. 
When  an  explanation  was  demanded  of  Captain  Cameron  his  reply 
was  a  lame  one,  for  it  will  be  seen  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
make  one  that  would  satisfy  the  bigoted  monarch,  who  next  sharply 
asked  why  the  consul,  instead  of  coming   direct   to  Abyssinia,  had 


THE  DISADVANTAGES  OF  VICTORY  495 

turned  aside  to  enter  Soudan.  Perhaps  Cameron  might  have  done 
better  in  smoothing  over  this  seemingly  discourteous  act,  had  he 
been  given  the  chance,  but  it  was  denied  him.  Without  waiting 
for  his  words,  the  king  declared  English  Christianity  a  sham,  and 
added  that  he  meant  to  punish  Queen  Victoria  for  the  slight  put 
upon  him.  He  made  prisoners  of  all  the  foreigners  in  his  dominions, 
including  Cameron,  and  some  of  the  captives  were  subjected  to 
torture. 

As  might  be  supposed,  England  was  indignant  when  she  learned 
of  the  outrage.  Theodore  received  enough  letters  from  the  foreign 
office  to  compensate  him  a  dozen  times  over  for  the  Queen's  neglect. 
He  replied  that  he  was  keeping  Great  Britain's  subjects  in  prison 
because  he  wanted  men  and  machinery  with  which  he  could  make 
gunpowder  and  guns.  To  placate  the  savage  ruler,  the  government 
sent  him  several  skilled  artisans.  The  King  made  use  of  their 
services,  and  caused  an  arsenal  to  be  built,  but  would  not  release 
his  captives. 

By  this  time  it  was  apparent  that  he  was  amenable  to  only 
one  argument — that  of  force.  He  felt  secure  in  his  far  away 
African  empire  and  looked  upon  the  concessions  of  England  as 
proofs  of  her  helplessness  to  punish  him.  He  was  still  soured  over 
the  failure  of  his  first  letter  to  bring  a  reply  from  the  Queen,  and 
remained  as  self-willed  and  resentful  as  ever.  Finally,  Sir  Robert 
Napier  was  placed  at  the  head  of  an  expedition  to  Magdala  with 
orders  to  upset  the  obdurate  king. 

The  army,  numbering  12,000,  was  marched  400  miles  over 
the  rugged  mountains  to  Magdala.  Learning  of  their  coming  Theo- 
dore set  free  his  captives  with  the  impudent  remark  that  he  had 
held    them    on    purpose   to    induce    the    Queen    to    send    an    army 


4iiG  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

respectable  enough  to  put  up  a  fair  fight.  Since  he  could  not  very 
well  go  to  her  country  with  an  adequate  force  he  adopted  this 
method  of  bringing  a  British  force  within  striking  distance.  One 
of  the  prisoners  told  him  the  approaching  army  was  sure  to  defeat 
him. 

"Let  them  come,"  was  the  contemptuous  reply  of  the  Theodore; 
"If  I  do  not  crush  all  of  the  Queen's  soldiers,  then  you  may  set 
me  down  as  a  woman." 

No  intelligent  person  could  fail  to  forsee  the  result.  The 
British  army  arrived,  fully  armed,  in  good  shape,  and  under  the 
command  of  excellent  leaders.  The  king's  followers  were  charged 
and  scattered  like  so  much  chaff.  One  thousand  were  killed,  nearly 
all  the  rest  put  to  flight  and  the  fortress  surrendered  in  April,  1867, 
the  loss  of  the  assailants  being  only  one  oflBcer  wounded.  Theodore 
proved  himself  a  monarch  in  one  respect;  for,  when  he  saw  all 
was  lost,  he  killed  himself,  dying  without  receiving  the  long 
expected  letter  from  the  Queen  of  England,  a  failure  which  cost 
Great  Britain  $10,000,000. 

An  irritating  state  of  affairs  existed  for  a  long  time  in  New 
Zealand,  over  the  right  of  the  native  chiefs  to  sell  land  to  the 
English  settlers.  The  quarrel  was  much  the  same  as  that  between 
the  great  Shawanoe  chieftain  Tecumseh  and  the  United  States 
government,  previous  to  the  war  of  1812.  Tecumseh  insisted  that 
no  tribe  could  sell  land  without  the  consent  of  all  the  tribes,  since, 
as  he  maintained,  it  belonged  to  all  in  common.  In  New  Zealand, 
after  such  sales  had  been  made  by  a  sub-chief,  one  higher  in  rank 
than  he  would  angrily  declare  the  sale  void.  The  quarrels  increased 
in  acuteness  until  1860,  when  the  Maoris,  who  are  brave  and 
resolute,  united  in  a  war  to  the  death  against  what  they  considered 


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THE  TOWN  HALL,  LADYSMITH,  CONVERTED  INTO  A  HOSPITAL, 


AN  INCIDENT  IN  THE  BOMBARDMENT  OF  LADYSMITH-A  SHELL  IN  THE 
KITCHEN  OF  THE  I8TH  HUSSARS. 


THE  DISADVANTAGES  OE  VICTUKV  41)9 

English  injustice.  The  Maoris  are  men  of  groat  stature,  magnificent 
physique,  capable  of  withstanding  incredible  fatigue,  as  fierce  and 
courageous  as  Zulus,  were  armed  with  "muskets  which  the  tribes 
had  used  for  many  years  against  one  another,  and.  though  many 
were  nominally  Christians,  owing  to  the  efforts  of  early  mission- 
aries, they  would  not  give  up  the  hideous  practice  of  eating  the 
prisoners  whom  they  took  in  battle. 

In  addition  to  this  they  were  good  engineers  and  skilled 
tacticians,  and  the  sight  of  a  liody  of  them  engaged  in  a  war  dance 
was  enough  to  to  terrify  the  stoutest  soldier.  The  war  upon 
which  they  entered  was  prosecuted  with  more  or  less  fury  for  ten 
years.  As  evidence  of  the  lofty  state  of  civilization  attained  by  the 
Maoris,  it  may  be  recalled  that  one  of  their  number  visited  America 
some  years  ago,  and  posed  as  a  trained  athlete  and  wrestler. 

The  natives  adopted  the  most  effective  method  of  fighting 
disciplined  troops,  which  may  be  described  as  modeled  in  many 
respects  after  that  of  our  own  Indians.  They  cut  off  small  detach- 
ments, burned  and  plundered  villages,  and,  when  the  troops  arrived, 
skurried  off  to  the  bush.  They  showed  no  little  skill  in  erecting 
fortifications,  which  usually  consisted  of  three  rows  of  bamboo 
fences,  backed  by  earth.  When  driven  from  tbe  tirst.  they  ran 
behind  the  second  and  shot  the  white  soldiers  as  they  swarmed 
over  the  iirst  line. 

Exasperated  by  this  destructive  resistance,  the  commanders 
ordered  the  defenses  to  be  undermined  and  blown  up.  When  tiie 
hard  task  was  completed  and  everything  was  ready  for  the  explo- 
sion, it  was  found  that  the  Maoris  had  withdrawn  to  a  similar 
fortification  a  safe  distance  away.  Once,  when  the  laboiious  min- 
ing was  under  way,  a  flag  of  truce  arrived  from  the  opposing  chief, 
'^1 


5U0  Till':  STOKY  01^  SOUTH  AFRICA 

conveying  liis  compliments  and  the  message  that  he  was  growing 
impatient  over  the  delay;  he  added,  that  finding  he  had  a  number 
of  sappers  idle,  he  would  lend  them  to  the  English  in  order  to 
hasten  the  completion  of  the  channel  under  his  fort,  and  thus 
bring  matters  to  an  issue. 

This  audacious  letter  was  an  exhibition  of  the  Maori  sense  of 
humor  which  is  one  of  their  most  marked  characteristics.  Despite 
the  many  sanguinary  incidents  of  the  war,  they  extracted  a  good 
deal  of  fun  from  it.  A  letter  from  one  of  them  to  his  family  said 
he  and  his  comrades  were  so  happy  that  they  ate  the  English  bul- 
lets. Sir  Duncan  Cameron,  who  advanced  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  a 
day  along  the  sea  coast  for  two  months,  was  dubbed  "The  Lame 
Seagull." 

The  difficulty  of  conquering  these  humorous  wretches  was  so 
great  that  England  kept  pouring  troops  into  New  Zealand  until  they 
were  ten  times  as  numerous  as  the  natives.  One  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary of  all  incidents  occurred  in  January,  1863,  when  300  Maoris 
were  surrounded  in  a  stockade  by  an  overwhelming  British  force. 
They  had  no  water,  were  raked  by  artillery  and  small  arm  fire,  and 
a  shower  of  hand  grenades  was  rained  upon  them.  They  repulsed 
five  desperate  charges,  but,  seeing  that  their  situation  was  hopeless, 
and  admiring  their  wonderful  bravery,  General  Cameron  asked 
them  to  surrender  with  all  the  honors  of  war.  To  this  demand  the 
notable  answer  was  returned: 

"Kawhawhai  tome,  ake,  ake,  ake!"  ("We  fight  right  on,  forever, 
forever,  forever!") 

When  General  Cameron  received  the  message  he  asked  the 
Maoris  to  send  their  ^vomen  away,  to  Avhich  the  reply  came:  "Our 
women  want  to  fight  as  much  as  we  do." 


THE  mSADVANTAGES  OF  VlCTOKV  5Ui 

Three  days  hiter  the  Maoris  charged  out,  leaping  directly  over 
one  regiment  of  infantry  that  were  lying  in  the  rifle  pits  in  front. 
Half  of  the  daring  fellows  made  their  escape  into  the  bush. 

The  greatest  fight  of  the  war  was  at  a  stockade  between  two 
swamps  which  effectually  guarded  the  flanks  of  the  Maoris.  Their 
force  was  insignificant  as  compared  with  the  British.  A  regiment 
of  infantry  was  sent  around  to  the  rear  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of 
the  Maoris,  when  Cameron  proceeded  to  batter  down  the  stockade 
with  his  eleven  Armstrong  guns,  two  howitzers  and  six  mortars. 
When  a  breach  had  been  made,  a  charge  was  ordered.  All  this 
time  the  natives,  by  lying  low  in  excavations  inside  the  stockade, 
had  escaped  receiving  so  much  as  a  wound.  Waiting  until  the 
English  were  directly  upon  them,  they  leaped  to  their  feet  and 
fought  with  the  fierceness  of  tigers.  The  British  were  decisively 
repulsed  and  fled  tumultuously  out  of  the  intrenchnients,  but  two 
of  them  won  the  Victoria  Cross  by  bravely  reselling  wounded 
comrades  who  were  in  danger  of  being  left  behind. 

Matters  remained  at  a  standstill  until  darkness,  when  the 
garrison  fought  its  way  out,  suffering  only  a  slight  loss,  while  that 
of  the  British  was  ten  officers  and  one  hundred  and  one  men. 
Some  days  later  the  British  came  upon  a  party  of  Maoris  .workinjz 
upon  new  fortifications,  and  in  a  fierce  attack  killed  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  of  them.  A  partial  cessation  of  hostilities  followed, 
but  the  war  continued  fitfully  for  a  number  of  years.  The  Maoiis 
refused  to  surrender  or  compromise  their  quarrel.  The  Britisli 
troops  were  gradually  withdrawn,  and  skiilfnl  diplomacy  at 
last  brought  permanent  peace.  Franchise  was  granted  to  the 
native  men  and  women,  who  have  long  had  rejiresentativcs  in  the 
Colonial  Parliament,  while  New  Zealand  itself  is  at  this  writing  on 


502  THE  STOKY  OF  tSOUTH  AFRICA 

tlie  ovo  of  joining  the  federation  of  Great  Britain's  Australian 
colonies. 

Over  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa  lies  the  Ashantee  territory, 
formerly  owned  by  the  Dutch,  who  paid  tribute  to  Great  Britain. 
In  1873,  the  King  of  the  Ashantees  notified  the  English  government 
that  it  must  pay  to  him  the  same  tribute  that  had  formerly  been 
received  by  it  from  Holland.  England  refused,  whereupon  the 
Ashantee  ruler  took  his  revenge  by  a  murderous  onslaught  upon 
a  tribe  friendly  to  the  English,  and  nearly  wiped  them  out  of 
existence.  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  was  ordered  to  West  Africa  with 
a  force  which  conquered  the  Ashantees  in  January,  1874,  captured 
the  capital,  Coomassie,  and  burned  it.  The  invaders  suffered  slight 
loss,  and  the  king,  thoroughly  cowled,  submitted  without  protest  to 
the  terms  of  the  conquerors. 

An  insurrection  broke  out  among  the  Kaffirs  along  the  Orange 
River,  in  1857,  but  Great  Britain  was  so  busily  occupied  elsewhere, 
that  she  made  no  attempt  for  three  years  to  restore  order.  Then 
it  was  effected,  but  trouble  occurred  again  in  1877;  this  time,  how- 
ever, it  was  soothed  with  little  difficulty, 

Afghanistan  has  long  been  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  Great 
Britain,  mainly  because  of  Russian  intrigue,  that  country  being 
exceedingly  jealous  of  British  advancement  in  that  quarter.  If 
war  ever  occurs  between  the  two  powers,  it  will  probably  be  on 
account  of  mutual  encroachments  in  this  part  of  Asia  where 
England  sees  her  Indian  possessions  threatened  by  the  "earth 
hunger"  of  the  Czar.  As  has  been  stated,  there  had  been  strong 
tension  for  years,  and  finally  the  Emir  of  Afghanistan,  in  1878, 
backed  by  Russian  encouragement,  made  an  effort  to  shut 
out    the    British    from    his    territory.       In    November,    of     that 


THE  DISADVANTAGES  OE  VICTORY  503 

year,  three  British  columns  advanced  from  India  into  Afghan 
territory. 

Sir  Donald  Stewart  moved  from  Kandahar;  a  second  column, 
under  Sir  Samuel  Brown,  passed  through  the  Khyber  Pass,  while  a 
third  under  Major  Roberts  (now  Lord  Roberts,  of  Kandahar), 
marched  out  through  Kuram.  It  was  the  last  column  which  had 
the  lion's  share  of  fighting.  The  position  of  the  Afghans,  on  the 
side  of  a  steep  mountain  at  the  other  end  of  the  pass,  was  impreg- 
nable against  a  direct  attack.  At  night,  Roberts  moved  the  larger 
part  of  his  force  to  the  left  flank  of  the  position,  and  the  next 
morning,  in  a  valiant  charge,  drove  out  the  natives  pell  mell. 
His  success  would  have  been  greater,  but  for  the  treachery  of 
several  Sepoy  guides,  who  managed  to  warn  the  Afghans  of  their 
danger. 

Their  defeat,  however,  w-as  so  disastrous  that  they  consented 
to  negotiations,  and  agreed  to  allow  a  British  residency  to  be 
established  at  Cabul.  Within  less  than  a  month  after  such  estab- 
lishment, all  the  Englisli  were  attacked  and  massacred  by  an 
Afghan  mob.  There  was  no  doubt  tliat  the  Emir  encouraged  this 
outrage,  or  at  any  rate,  he  took  no  steps  to  prevent  it.  He  would 
not  punish  the  criminals,  and  England  determined  to  do  it  herself. 

Roberts  reorganized  his  force,  and,  with  no  serious  resistance, 
fought  his  w^ay  to  Cabul,  at  w'hich  place  the  Emir  came  out  to 
meet  him.  A  severe  battle  was  fought  in  Septeml)er,  1879,  during 
which  the  unprecedented  spectacle  was  seen  of  the  army,  techni- 
cally in  rebellion  against  the  Emir,  being  directed  l»y  him  while  in 
the  British  camp.  This  was  suspected  by  Robert^,  and,  though 
seeming  incredible,  he  afterward  proved  it  was  true.  The  British 
loss  w^as  eighteen  killed  and  seventy  wounded,  that  of  the  Afghans 


604  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

being  five  times  as  great.  The  engagement  figures  in  history  as 
tlie  battle  of  Charasia. 

Roberts  and  his  troops  remained  in  Cabul  throughout  the 
winter,  during  which  stern  justice  was  meted  out  to  those  directly 
responsible  for  the  massacre  at  the  residency.  All  northern  Afghan- 
istan was  practically  under  English  rule,  but  in  December,  it  may 
be  said,  the  whole  Afghan  population  rose  in  revolt.  There  w^as 
no  way  by  which  reinforcements  could  reach  Roberts,  and  his 
situation  daily  grew  more  critical.  The  most  painful  anxiety  was 
felt  throughout  England  for  him  and  his  troops,  and  the  fear 
became  general  that  all  would  be  annihilated.  In  several  battles 
fought  with  the  fierce  natives  among  the  hills,  the  British  were 
defeated,  and  finally  they  were  forced  out  of  Cabul,  and  compelled 
to  make  their  final  stand  in  w^hat  is  known  as  the  Sherpur  fortress. 
The  Afghans  assailed  the  position  with  irrestrainable  fury  through 
a  period  of  more  than  a  week,  but  the  coolness  and  discipline  of 
the  troops  held  them  off  and  the  repeated  failures  discouraged 
them.  While  engaged  in  their  last  attack,  a  sortie  was  made  by  a 
portion  of  the  garrison  which  turned  the  flank  of  the  besiegers 
and  scattered  them  so  effectually  that  the  peril  of  the  garrison 
was  ended. 

The  fighting  that  followed  was  in  the  nature  of  skirmishing 
until  the  month  of  July,  when  Roberts,  who  was  making  ready  to 
take  his  force  back  to  India,  learned  that  General  Burrows,  who 
had  less  than  3,000  men,  was  in  imminent  peril  from  25,000 
Afghans,  who  held  him  surrounded  near  Kandahar.  He  was 
attacked  at  Marwand  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month,  and,  his 
ammunition  giving  out,  he  lost  1,100  men,  the  rest  escaping  to 
Kandahar  where   they   were   penned   in.    Roberts,  with  a   force  of 


THE  DISADVANTAGES  OF  VICTORY  505 

10,000  men,  set  out  to  rescue  Burrows  and  his  command,  after 
which  a  full  month  passed  before  any  news  was  received  from 
him.  Then  the  thrilling  tidings  came  that  he  had  succeeded  in 
relieving  the  imperilled  force  and  had  administrated  a  severe  defeat 
to  the  Afghans. 

Diplomacy  was  again  appealed  to  and  Russia  and  England 
united  in  installing  Abdur  Rahman  as  Emir.  He  pledged  himself 
to  keep  the  passes  open  and  to  protect  British  residents,  whereupon 
Roberts  returned,  with  his  army,  to  India,  having  well  won  the 
honors  which  a  grateful  country  showered  upon  him.  The  situa- 
tion in  that  part  of  Asia,  however,  is  best  described  as  an  armed 
truce  between  Russia  and  England,  liable  to   broken  at  any  time. 

Our  attention  once  more  turns  to  South  Africa,  where  the  well 
organized  and  daring  Zulus  caused  trouble.  This  has  been  referred 
to  in  another  part  of  this  work,  but  it  may  be  recalled  that  as 
early  as  1873  they  were  at  war  with  the  Boers,  and  in  December, 
1878,  a  special  British  Commission  was  sent  to  invite  Cetewayo, 
head  chief  of  the  Zulus,  to  dissolve  his  military  organization,  to 
protect  missionaries  and  to  allow  his  subjects  to  be  fined  when 
they  did  not  behave  well.  This  invitation  was  really  the  gloved 
hand  of  steel,  and  Cetewayo  was  informed  that  he  must  do  as 
requested  or  go  to  war.     He  went  to  war. 

The  reader  hardly  needs  to  be  reminded  of  Lord  Chelmsford's 
advance  into  Zululand  toward  Ulandi,  the  capital,  nor  of  the  anni- 
hilation of  two  battalions  of  British  troops  with  3,000  native  allies, 
at  Isandhlwana  on  January  22,  1879;  the  repulse  of  the  Zulus  at 
Roshe's  Drift  and  Ekowe;  the  withdrawal  and  retiirn  of  Chelmsford 
in  March  with  a  force  of  6,000  men,  and  his  defeat  of  the  Zulus  at 
Ginquilvo;  of  another  defeat  and  the  suing  for  peace  by  the  Zulus; 


50G  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

their  dissatisfaction  with  the  terms  and  renewal  of  the  war;  of  a 
second  battle  at  Ulandi  and  the  burning  of  the  town,  and  finally 
of  the  capture  of  Cetewayo  by  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley,  who  sent  him 
to  England,  where  he  was  placed  on  exhibition,  and  afterward  sup- 
ported as  a  distinguished  pensioner  upon  the  bounty  of  his  conquerors. 

It  was  the  Zulu  raids  on  the  Boers  in  1877  which  started  the 
first  war  of  Great  Britain  with  the  Boers,  the  particulars  of  which 
have  already  been  given. 

That  royal  miscreant,  King  Thebaw^  of  Burmah,  hated  the 
English  with  such  implacability  that  when  he  ascended  the  throne 
in  1878,  he  set  on  foot  a  system  of  persecution  intended  to  drive 
them  out  of  his  domains.  He  encouraged  his  subjects  to  insult  the 
English  officers  and  residents,  and,  growdng  bolder,  determined  to 
force  every  Englishman  from  the  Irawaddy  Valley.  One  of  his 
outrageous  acts,  in  1884,  was  to  fine  a  British  company  again  and 
again  without  any  pretense  of  justice,  and  with  the  evident 
intention  of  securing  all  their  property.  His  conduct  became  so 
unbearable  that  Great  Britain  presented  an  ultimatum,  demanding 
that  he  should  receive  their  resident  without  humiliating  cere- 
monies. Thebaw  treated  the  notice  with  contempt,  but  was 
compelled  to  give  heed  to  it  when  a  force  of  10,000  men  and 
seventy-seven  guns  advanced  against  him.  His  army  was  routed, 
Mandalay  captured,  and  Thebaw  taken  to  India  as  a  prisoner.  The 
final  chapter  was  reached  in  1886,  when  England  annexed  Burmah. 

The  next  subject  demanding  attention  is  the  English  occupa- 
tion of  Egypt,  where  troubles  made  by  the  Mahdi  in  that  country 
caused  England  to  send  11.000  men,  under  Hicks  Pasha,  to  Suakim, 
in  behalf  of  the  Khedive.  The  expedition  reached  Khartoum  early 
in   1883.     It  remained   there   until    November,  when   Hicks    Pasha 


THE  DISADVANTAGES  OF  VICTORY  507 

tried  to  take  the  Mahdi's  headquarters  at  El  Obeid.  The  army  was 
hemmed  in  the  Kasgil  passes,  and,  though  it  fought  desperately  for 
several  days,  the  50,000  Mahdists  annihilated  it. 

Ahmed  Arabi,  colonel  of  the  Fourth  Egyptian  Regiment, 
headed  a  military  revolt  at  Cairo,  was  made  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Egyptian  army  without  the  consent  of  the  Khedive,  and  the  war  cry 
was  raised  of  "Egypt  for  the  Egyptian."  Ahmed  began  strengthen- 
ing the  defenses  of  Alexandria,  which  was  bombarded  by  the 
British  fleet  on  July  11,  1883.  A  good  defense  was  made,  the  ships 
being  repeatedly  struck,  and  five  men  were  killed  and  twenty-eight 
wounded,  but  the  Egyptian  loss  is  not  known.  When  a  force  was 
landed  it  was  found  that  Arabi  had  used  the  white  flag,  hoisted 
the  day  before,  to  cover  his  retreat.  The  city  was  sacked  during 
the  bombardment  and  many  of  the  Christian  inhabitants  massacred. 

A  month  later  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  amved  in  Egypt  with  a 
force  sufficient  to  crush  the  rebellion,  and,  acting  in  conjunction 
with  Admiral  Seymour,  he  seized  the  Suez  Canal  and  joined  an 
Indian  contingent  at  Ismalia.  Some  skirmishing  followed,  when 
Wolseley  attacked  Arabi  at  Tel-el-Kebir  and  defeated  him  after  some 
sharp  fighting,  but  Arabi  succeeded  in  escaping. 

The  mission  of  Chinese  Gordon  to  Khartoun  and  his  imprison- 
ment there  by  an  overwhelming  force  will  be  remembered.  England 
was  slow  in  going  to  his  rescue  and  many  to-day  bitterly  blame  their 
government  for  its  neglect  of  one  of  the  most  valiant  and  chival- 
rous soldiers  that  ever  fought  under  her  flag.  Finally,  a  force  of 
7,000  men  were  started  in  that  direction.  A  fragment  of  this  force 
was  attacked  by  an  immense  body  of  Arabs  near  Metemneh,  but 
they  were  beaten  off  with  great  slaughter.  The  expedition  fought 
its  way  to  Khartoum,  Imt  when  it  arrived  there,  found  tliat  Gordon 


508  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

had  been  killed,  having  been  attacked  at  his  quarters,  where  he 
defended  himself  to  the  last  gasp,  and  died  only  after  slaying  a 
number  of  his  assailants.  The  expedition  of  rescue,  therefore, 
accomplished   nothing. 

Since  then  there  has  been  continual  friction  on  the  northern 
frontier  of  India,  due  to  the  causes  already  named.  By  her  vigi- 
lance in  punishing  rebellious  chiefs  Great  Britain  has  succeeded 
thus  far  in  keeping  the  Russian  "sphere  of  influence"  from  creeping 
too  near  her  borders.  Some  of  the  fighting  displayed  by  the 
English  has  been  of  the  highest  quality,  such  as  the  subjection  of 
the  Kaniut  tribes  of  the  Kashmir  in  1891,  the  Chitra  campaign 
of  1897,  and  the  Tira  campaign  of  a  year  later. 

From  the  incidents  related,  it  will  be  seen  that,  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  Boer  war  of  1879-80,  hardly  a  British  oflBcer  or 
soldier  has  seen  any  service  against  white  men.  It  may  be  repeated 
that  no  greater  daring  and  skill  have  ever  been  displayed  than  that 
of  the  British  in  many  of  these  battles  with  the  fiercest  of  fanatical 
wild  men,  who  look  upon  death  as  the  open  door  to  eternal  glory 
and  happiness,  and  who  fought,  in  many  instances,  without  an 
emotion  of  fear.  Nevertheless,  such  foes  are  less  formidable  than 
civilized  soldiers,  with  their  perfect  discipline,  their  knowledge  of 
tactics,  their  superior  modern  arms  and  their  trained  leaders. 


CHAPTER  XXYll 


THE    TUG    OF    WAR 


The  student  of  history  will  note  many  striking  parallels  (some 
of  which  have  been  referred  to  in  another  place)  between  the  war 
waged  by  Great  Britain  in  South  Africa  and  the  suppression  of  the 
great  rebellion  in  the  United  States  from  1861  to  1865.  The  North, 
like  England,  commanded  overwhelming  resources;  the  South  was 
greatly  outnumbered,  and,  in  respect  of  financial  ability,  there  was 
no  comparison  between  the  two  sections. 

The  South  fought  a  defensive  war;  the  Southerners  were  united, 
resolute  and  determined;  they  believed  they  were  fighting  for  their 
homes,  their  firesides,  and  their  most  cherished  principles;  they 
were  as  brave  and  skillful  as  their  conquerors,  but  not  braver  nor 
more  skillful;  when  the  strife  began,  they  were  better  prepared 
than  their  more  numerous  foes,  and,  for  a  time,  as  must  always  be 
the  case,  victory  was  on  the  side  of  the  weaker  party. 

In  the  North  and  in  Great  Britain  were  two  distinct  parties; 
those  who  favored  an  appeal  to  arms,  and  those  who  opposed,  and 
at  least  believed  that  such  an  appeal  could  be  postponed,  if  not 
wholly  averted.  This  division  of  sentiment  lasted  until  the  actual 
outbreak  of  hostilities,  when  there  instantly  came  a  majority 
opinion  to  maintain  the  integrity  and  honor  of  the  country,  uo 
matter  how  great  the  cost  and  sacrifice  demanded. 

In  some  respects  Great  Britain,  in  1S1)9,  was  at  a  greater  dis- 
advantage than  the  North  in  1861.  The  Federal  Government,  after 
mobilizing  its  volunteers,  had  to  march   or  transport  them  only  a 

(501) 


510  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

few  miles  in  order  to  enter  the  temtory  of  the  enemy.  The 
Union  troops  sent  to  the  defense  of  Washington,  in  April,  1861, 
were  among  cheering  friends  in  Philadelphia,  and  two  or  three 
hours  later  were  fighting  secessionists  in  Baltimore,  and  later,  on 
the  same  day,  cheered  to  the  echo  in  the  national  capital.  The 
armies  of  the  North  and  South  were  often  carried  by  rail  or  boat 
to  desired  points. 

On  the  other  hand.  Great  Britain  has  had  to  carry  the  bulk  of 
her  troops  and  munitions  of  war  more  than  a  fourth  of  the  way 
round  the  globe.  After  reaching  South  Africa,  they  were  obliged 
to  march  a  long  distance  into  the  interior,  across  a  strange  country, 
as  extensive  as  that  lying  between  Chicago  and  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, sometimes  under  the  direction  of  treacherous  guides,  or 
over  railway  lines  that  had  been  wrecked,  and  through  sections 
where  every  foot  was  familiar  to  a  brave  enemy,  armed  with  the 
best  modern  weapons,  led  by  skillful  officers,  and  inspired  by  a 
patriotism  that  was  fantical  in  its  intensity. 

The  conditions  being  such,  British  defeat  in  the  earlier  stages 
of  the  war  was  as  certain  as  the  rising  of  the  sun.  Great  Britain 
showed  commendable  patience  with  the  military  leaders  w^heu  they 
were  overtaken  by  disaster,  for,  in  every  instance,  officers  and 
privates  fought  with  the  same  splendid  valor  that  their  ancestors 
displayed  on  hundreds  of  crimson  fields,^  but,  after  all,  there  is  no 
escaping  the  fact  that  while  some  of  the  first  blunders  were 
excusable,  many  of  those  that  followed  were  not,  for  they  were 
only  repetitions  of  the  first.  It  has  been  said  that  the  wisest  man 
is  liable  to  make  a  mistake,  but  mistakes  should  be  accepted  as  a 
warning  and  should  not  be  repeated. 

Away   back   in    1755,   the   French   and    Indians   lured    General 


THE  TU(i  OF  WAR  511 

Braddock  into  a  trap  and  then  destroyed  his  army.  The  Boers 
resorted  to  the  same  tactics  with  the  British  forces,  and  the 
exasperating  feature  of  it  all  was  that  they  were  repeatedly  suc- 
cessful. The  English  officers  have  been  slow  in  learning  the  fright- 
fully dear  lesson.  The  Boer  methods  which  brought  Jameson's 
raid  to  a  disa.strous  end  were  used  again  and  again  on  a  larger 
scale  against  the  well-equipped  armies  of  Great  Britain,  and  it 
cannot  be  wondered  that  impatience  and  indignation  stirred  Eug- 
land,  but  in  every  instance  this  feeling  was  followed  by  the  flashing 
eye,  the  compressed  lip  and  the  unalterable  resolve:  "We  ahall 
win,  if  it  takes  the  last  Englishman  in  the  Empire!" 

Previous  to  the  telegraphing  of  the  Transvaal's  ultimatum  to 
England,  the  Boers,  well  aware  that  it  meant  war,  set  a  number 
of  military  movements  on  foot  and  pushed  them  with  character- 
istic vigor.  A  dispatch  from  Newcastle,  Natal,  stated  that  they 
had  left  the  laager  at  Volksrust  and  were  moving  toward  the 
frontier,  where  the  situation  was  most  critical.  The  women  and 
children  were  ordered  to  leave  for  the  interior  of  Natal.  The  camp 
on  the  Natal  border  was  said  to  number  8,000  men.  all  stirred  by 
a  deep  religious  fervor  and  a  great  enthusiasm  in  the  struggle  for 
independence. 

The  news  from  both  sides  in  the  region  of  hostilities  was 
rigorously  censored,  so  that  it  was  often  unreliable,  and  the  accounts 
received  from  the  British  commanders  were  naturally  one-sided. 
But  history  was  making  fast  in  South  Africa,  and  the  tidings  sent 
to  England  soon  became  of  the  most  exciting  nature.  On  the  14th 
of  October,  Mr.  Cecil  Rhodes  declared  in  a  dispatch  from  Kimberley 
that  the  city  was  as  safe  as  Piccadilly,  but  this  message  was 
followed  by  another  the  next  day,  conveying  the  intelligence  that 


5 1 'J  THE  STOJIY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Kiinberley  was  besieged  by  the  Boers  and  nil  communication  with 
the  place,  either  by  mail  or  telegraph,  was  cut  off. 

Mr.  Conynghain  Greene,  formerly  the  diplomatic  agent  at  Pre- 
toria, left  that  city  on  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  and  arrived  at 
Cape  Town  on  the  evening  of  the  14th.  A  number  of  horses  belong- 
ing to  the  police  patrol  were  seized  by  the  Boers  near  De  Jager's 
Drift,  on  tlie  Buffalo  River,  some  ten  miles  northeast  of  Dundee, 
Natal,  and  the  riders  captured.  Shots  were  exchanged  between 
British  and  Boer  scouts  in  the  neighborhood  of  Glencoe,  a  few  miles 
west  of  Dundee,  Natal,  where  a  British  force  was  encamped,  but 
no  injury  was  done  on  either  side.  Later  dispatches  were  to  the 
effect  that  the  Boers  had  cut  the  railway  at  Belmont,  fifty-six  miles 
south  of  Kimberley,  and  also  at  a  point  considerably  nearer  Kim- 
berley.  They  seized  the  railway  station  at  Spyfontein,  near  the 
city,  and  fortified  it  with  earthworks,  their  eager  desire  being  to 
capture  Cecil  Rhodes,  who  would  prove  a  strong  card  to  play  against 
Great  Britain.  The  inhabitants  were  calm  and  confident  and  had 
a  force  of  4,000  men  with  which  to  defend  the  place. 

An  armored  train,  preceded  by  a  pilot  engine,  was  wrecked  by 
the  Boers  near  Vryburg,  the  incident  being  thus  described  by  the 
driver  of  the  pilot  engine : 

"The  train  consisted  of  an  armored  car,  in  which  were  fifteen 
men,  a  short  truck  loaded  with  ammunition,  and  a  bogey  car  carry- 
ing two  big  guns  and  a  quantity  of  shells.  An  officer  of  the  mounted 
police  at  Maribogo  warned  Captain  Nesbitt,  who  was  in  charge  of 
the  train,  that  Boers  were  on  the  line,  but  Captain  Nesbitt  gave 
the  order  to  go  ahead.  It  was  dark  at  the  time.  The  pilot  engine 
was  about  forty  yards  in  advance  of  the  train.  When  near  Kraai 
Pan    it   ran   off  the  line.    I    got    down   and    showed    a    red    light, 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR  518 

stopping  the  train  behind.  I  found  loose  rails  near  the  track  and 
began  to  fix  the  line  where  the  Boers  had  removed  the  rails. 
Almost  immediately  shots  were  fired  from  a  dried  water-course, 
where  the  Boers  were  hiding.     Some  of  the  train  crew  were  wounded. 

"The  Boers  snipped  us  all  night  and  at  daybreak  started  with 
their  big  guns.  All  their  shells  were  aimed  at  the  engine,  which 
was  soon  in  a  bad  way.  All  this  time  I  was  lying  down  inside  the 
truck,  until  I  heard  an  officer  order  a  flag  of  truce  to  be  shown. 
Two  flags  were  raised,  but  the  Boers  paid  no  heed  to  them  for 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  When  they  ceased  firing,  I  got  out  of 
the  truck  and  crawled  on  my  stomach  for  about  a  mile  and  a  half, 
until  the  Boers  were  out  of  sight.  I  had  a  miraculous  escape.  I 
made  my  way  to  Maribogo.  I  do  not  know  what  became  of  the 
others,  but  feel  certain  that  all  were  taken  prisoners.  The  Boers' 
shells  did  not  touch  the  trucks  containiug  the  guns.  The  ammuni- 
tion must  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Boers  undamaged." 

Newcastle  was  occupied  on  the  14th  by  the  Boers  under  Cora- 
mandante  Viljoen,  who  sent  a  message  warning  the  inhabitants  of 
his  coming  and  assuring  them  that  no  one  would  be  molested. 
He  said  he  only  wanted  forage  and  food,  for  which  he  would  pay. 
An  official  statement  was  issued  on  the  16th,  stating  that  Natal 
had  been  invaded  by  three  columns  of  Boers  by  way  of  Bothas 
Pass,  Laings  Nek  and  Matts  Nek,  respectively,  with  an  estimated 
force  of  11,000  men,  all  of  which  columns  were  converging  upon 
Newcastle.  An  express  rider  from  Kimberley  succeeded  in  i>assing 
through  the  Boer  forces  surrounding  the  city  and  reached  the 
Orange  River.  He  reported  that  the  troops  and  residents  in  Kim- 
berley were  free  fioni  all  panic,  and  confident  of  lacing  able  to  hold 
out  against  any  force  the  Boers  could  bring  against  them.     All  the 


514  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

same,  the  messenger  urged  the  necessity  of  sending  reinforcements 
lit  the  earliest  possible  moment  for  the  defense  of  the  town.  Com- 
plete possession  of  the  railway  from  Orange  River  to  Kimberley  was 
obtained  by  the  Boers. 

The  magnificent  railway  bridge  over  the  Tugela  River  was 
destroyed  by  the  Boers  on  November  15.  A  few  days  later  the  first 
authentic  account  of  the  terrific  charge  at  Dundee  and  of  the 
strange  battlefield  of  Elands  Laagte  was  received,  and,  although  the 
news  was  three  weeks  old,  it  is  of  such  stirring  interest  that  it 
deserves  record.  What  a  word  picture  is  drawn  by  the  cool,  clear- 
headed correspondent  of  the  London  Times: 

"As  soon  as  the  Boer  guns  were  silenced  by  our  artillery.  Gen- 
eral Symons  gave  the  order  for  an  assault  on  Talana  Hill.  The 
hill  rises  800  feet  and  the  distance  to  the  top  is  more  than  a  mile. 
The  first  portion  of  the  ascent  is  gentle  and  over  open  ground  to 
a  homestead  surrounded  by  broken  woods.  Above  the  woods  the 
ground  is  rough  and  rocky,  the  ascent  is  steep,  and  half  way  up  a 
thick  stone  wall  runs  around  the  hill  as  the  fringe  of  a  wide  ter- 
race of  open  ground. 

"Above  the  ten-ace  the  ascent  is  almost  perpendicular,  and  at 
the  end  of  this  was  the  Boer  position,  on  the  flat  top,  so  character- 
istic of  African  hills.  Altogether  the  position  seemed  impregnable, 
even  if  held  by  a  small  body  against  large  forces,  and  General 
Symons  must  have  had  extraordinary  confidence  in  his  men  when 
he  ordered  2,000  of  them  to  take  it  in  the  teeth  of  a  terrible  and 
well-sustained  fire  from  superior  numbers  of  skilled  rifiemen.  His 
confidence  was  fully  justified. 

"  It  is  said  that  he  deliberately  resolved  to  show  the  Boers  that 
Majuba  Hill  was  not   the  measure  of   what   British   infantry  could 


IN  THE  NICK  OF  TIME-SAVING  THE  WIRE. 


THE  TUG  OF  W  AK  517 

do,  and,  if  so,  he  more  than  succeeded.  To  find  a  parallel  for  the 
endurance,  tenacity  and  heroic  determination  to  press  forward  over 
all  obstacles  and  at  all  hazards,  one  has  to  go  back  to  Wellington's 
invincible  infantry  in  the  Peninsula. 

"The  men  had  to  go  through  eight  hours  of  fighting  without 
breakfast.  The  wood  was  the  first  cover  available,  and  in  the  rush 
for  this  position  the  Dublin  Fusiliers  led  the  way,  though  afterward 
the  three  regiments  went  practically  side  by  side. 

"The  advance  of  the  infantry  w^as  covered  by  a  vigorous  can- 
nonade, but  the  appearance  of  our  men  in  the  open  was  the  signal 
for  a  storm  of  rifle  fire  from  the  Boers.  Though  our  losses  at  this 
stage  were  extraordinarily  small,  in  the  wood,  which  for  some  time 
marked  the  limit  of  the  advance,  they  were  considerable,  and  here, 
about  9:30  o'clock.  General  Symons,  who  had  galloped  up  to  tell  the 
men  that  the  hill  must  be  taken,  fell  mortally  wounded.  Through- 
out the  morning  he  had  exposed  himself  perhaps  unnecessarily. 
His  position  was  always  marked  by  a  red  flag  carried  by  his  orderly. 

"By  ten  o'clock  our  men,  creeping  up  inch  by  inch,  and  taking 
advantage  of  every  available  cover,  had  gained  the  shelter  of  the 
stone  wall,  but  for  a  long  time  further  advance  seemed  impossible. 
As  often  as  a  man  l)ecame  visible  the  Boers  poured  a  deadly  fire  in  his 
direction,  while,  whatever  their  losses  from  our  mtilleiy  fin\  they 
rarely  afforded  a  mark  for  the  rifle. 

"  About  twelve  o'clock,  however,  a  lull  in  their  (iio  afforded  our 
men  an  opportunity  for  scaling  the  wall  and  dashing  across  the  open 
ground  beyond.  Then  the  almost  sheer  ascent  of  the  last  portion  of 
the  hill  began.  Here  our  losses  were  greatest,  the  Rifles  losing  most 
heavily. 

"Colonel  Gunning,  who  was  always  in  front  of  his  men.  was  shot 

28 


518  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

through  the  head.  Near  the  top  of  the  hill  Captain  Pechell,  who  had 
only  arrived  two  days  before  from  the  Soudan,  also  fell.  Out  of 
seventeen  officers  the  battalion  lost  five  killed  and  seven  wounded. 
As  our  men  neared  the  top  of  the  hill  our  guns  were  compelled  to 
slacken  their  fire,  and  the  Boers,  of  course,  were  enabled  to  strengthen 
their  rifle  fire  accordingly.  The  last  portion  of  the  ascent  was  rushed 
with  their  bayonets,  but  the  Boers  did  not  await  the  charge.  A  few, 
who  stood  ground  to  near  the  end,  were  seen  flying  precipitately 
across  the  top  of  the  hill  when  our  men  reached  the  crest.  About 
thirty  dead  and  wounded  were  lying  on  the  ground,  and  cases  of 
ammunition  and  Mauser  rifles  strewn  about  showed  the  hurry  of  the 
flight.  Boer  ponies  were  galloping  about,  and  one  of  the  humorous 
sights  of  the  day  was  to  see  the  Dublin  Fusiliers  gaily  riding  back 
these  captive  steeds." 

The  following  vivid  account  of  the  remarkable  battle  of  Elands 
Laagte  is  by  G.  W.  Stevens: 

"  Our  guns  moved  to  a  position  toward  the  right  and  the  Boer 
guns  opened  fire.  Lord,  but  those  German  gunners  knew  their 
business!  The  third  or  fourth  shell  pitched  into  a  wagon  full  of 
shells  with  a  team  of  eight  horses  hitched  to  it.  We  held  our 
breath  for  the  explosion,  but  when  the  smoke  cleared  away  only 
the  near  wheeler  lay  on  his  side  and  the  wagon  had  its  wheels  in 
the  air.      Our  batteries  bayed  again  and  the  Boer  guns  were  silent. 

"The  attack  was  to  be  made  on  their  front  and  left  flank. 
The  Devonshires  formed  for  the  front  attack  and  the  Manchesters 
on  the  right.  The  Gordon  Highlanders  edged  to  the  extreme  right- 
ward  with  a  long,  bowlder-freckled  hill  above  them.  The  guns  flung 
shrapnel  across  the  valley.  The  cavalry  were  in  leash,  straining 
towards  the  enemy's  flanks. 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR  511) 

"It  was  about  a  quarter  to  five  and  it  seemed   curiously  dark. 
No  wonder,  for  as  the  men   moved   forward  the  heavens  opened  and 
from  the  eastern  sky  swept  a  sheet  of  rain.     With  the  first  stabbing 
drops  the   horses    turned   their  heads   and   no  whip   or   spur   could 
bring  them    up  to   it.     It  drove   through    mackintoshes   as   if   they 
were   blotting   paper.     The  air  was  filled  with  a  liissing  sound,  and 
under  foot  you  could  see  the  solid  earth  melting  into  mud    and  the 
mud   flowing  away  iu   the  water.     The   rain   blotted   out    hill,  dale 
and  the  enemy  in  one  gray  curtain  of  swooping  water.     You  would 
have  said  that  the  heavens  had  opened  to  drown  the  wrath  of  man. 
"Through  it  the  guns  still  thundered  and   the    Khaki  columns 
pushed  doggedly  on.     The  infantry  came   among   tlie  bowklers  and 
began  to  open  out.     The  supports   and   reserves  followed.     Tlien,  in 
a  twinkling,  on  the  stone-pitted    hill's   face    burst   loose   that  other 
storm,   a  storm    of  lead   and    blood    and    death.      In   tlie   first   line, 
down  behind  the  rocks,  the  men  were   firing   fast,   and   the   bullets 
came  flickering  around  them.     The  men  stopped  and  started,  stag- 
gered and  dropped   limply,   as  if  a   string   that   hold   thorn  upright 
had  been  cut.     The  line  pushed  on   and   a  colonel  fell,  sliot  in  the 
arm.     The   regiment   pushed   on,   and   they  came  to   a   rocky  rido'e 
twenty  feet  high.     They  clung  to    the   cover  firing,   then   rose  and 
were  among  the  shrill  bullets  again.     A  major  was  left  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  ridge  with  a  pipe   in    his   mouth  and   a    Mauser    l)ullet 
through  his  leg.     His  company  pushed  on.     Down  again,  lire  again, 
up  again  and  on.     Another   ridgo  won   and   passed   and    only  more 
hellish  hail  of  bullets  beyond.     ^lore  men  down,  more  men  pushed 
into  the  firing  line,  more    death-piping  bullets  than   ever.     The  air 
was  a  sieve  of  them;  they  beat  on  the  bowlders  like  a  million  ham- 
mers;  they  tore  the  turf-like  harrows. 


520  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRlCvV 

"  Another  ridge  crowned,  another  welcoming,  whistling  gust  of 
perdition.  More  men  down,  more  pushed  into  the  firing  line.  Half 
the  ofhcers  were  down.  The  men  puffed,  stumbled  on,  another 
ridge  taken.  CJod.  would  this  cursed  hill  never  end  !  It  was  sown 
with  bleeding  and  dead  behind,  it  was  edged  with  a  stinging  fire 
before. 

''On  and  now  it  was  surely  the  end.  Merry  bugles  rang  like  a 
cock  crow  on  a  fine  morning.  'Fix  bayonets.'  Staff  officers  rushed 
shouting  from  the  rear,  imploring,  cajoling,  cursing,  slamming  every 
man  who  could  move  into  line,  but  it  was  a  line  no  longer ;  it  was 
a  surging  wave  of  men.  The  Devonshires,  Gordons,  Manchesters 
and  Light  Horse  were  all  mixed  —  subalterns  commanding  regi- 
ments, soldiers  yelling  advice,  officers  firing  carbines,  stumbling, 
leaping,  killing,  falling,  all  drunk  with  battle.  And  there  beneath 
our  feet  was  the  Boer  camp,  and  the  last  of  the  Boers  galloping 
out  of  it.  There,  also,  thank  Heaven,  were  squadrons  of  Lancers 
and  Dragoon  Guards  storming  in  among  them,  shouting,  spearing, 
stamping  them  into  the  ground. 

"'Cease  fire.'  It  was  over.  Twelve  hours  of  march,  of  recon- 
naissance, waiting  and  preparation,  and  half  an  hour  of  attack,  but 
half  an  hour  crammed  with  the  life  of  a  half  lifetime.'' 

Lieutenant  Webb,  a  well-known  Johannesburger  and  a  member 
of  the  Imperial  Light  Horse,  who  shared  the  charge  up  the  precip- 
itous hill  at  Inlands  Laagte,  wa-ites  that  the  battle  was  a  terrible 
slaughter,  too  terrible  for  the  victory,  which  had  yet  to  be  won. 
"The  artillery  shells  burst  within  ten  yards  of  us  all  around,"  he 
says,  "  yet  some  of  our  men  had  to  sit  on  their  horses  at '  attention ' 
under  this  fire  for  an  hour.  I  saw  some  horrible  sights.  One 
Gordon  Highlander  got  a  shell  right  in  the  face,  knocking  his  head 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR  521 

clear  off.  We  charged  to  the  camion's  mouth,  the  (iordon  High- 
landers using  the  bayonet.  The  Boers  were  very  plucky,  shouted 
to  us  to  come  on,  and  stood  to  the  last.  The  Lancers  charged 
those  who  ran.  Some  who  went  on  their  knees  and  prayed  for 
mercy  were  let  off.  Others  did  this  and  then  shot  our  men  as  they 
went  away.  One  cur  killed  a  Gordon  Highlander  officer  who  had 
spared  him.  Colonel  Schiel  played  the  part  of  a  man,  when  badly 
wounded,  refusing  help  until  our  men  had  been  attended  to.  We 
killed  and  wounded  all  their  oflicers." 

The  Boers  displayed  great  activity.  In  the  latter  part  of 
November  they  occupied  the  railway  and  the  hills  l)ehin(l  Estcoui-t, 
and  destroyed  the  bridge  over  the  Mooi  River,  thus  isolating  the 
command  of  General  Hildyard  at  Estcouit.  The  British  force  at 
that  time  actually  in  the  field,  including  the  Colonial  levies  of  all 
kinds,  was  about  60,000  strong,  but  of  these  fully  1(),()00  were  neu- 
tralized in  the  blockaded  towns.  There  was  general  uneasiness 
over  the  attitude  of  the  Dutch  population  of  Ca|)o  (\»h)ny.  and. 
despite  the  efforts  of  the  politicians  of  the  Afrikandci-  Bond  to 
prevent  these  people  openly  declaring  in  favor  of  the  Boers,  large 
numbers  of  the  young  men  joined  their  ranks. 

The  following  terse  dispatch  from  General  Lord  Methuen  caused 
a  pleasant  thrill  upon  its  reception    by  the  War  Office  in   London  : 

"Belmont,  November  23. — T  attacked  the  enemy  at  dayl)reak 
this  morning  in  a  strong  position  on  \ho  three  ridgtv'^.  wliich  was 
carried  successfully,  the  last  attack  l)eing  piciJaicd  h\  >inapnel. 
The  infantry  behaved  splendidly  and  reccMvcMl  sui)port  from  the 
naval  brigade  and  artillery.  Tlie  enemy  fought  with  conragi^  and 
skill.  Had  I  attacked  later  I  should  have  had  severe  lo.sses.  The 
victory   was   complete.      I    have    forty    prisonei-s.      I    am    burying   a 


522  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

good  mnnl)or  of  Hoers,  but  tlie  greater  part  of  the  killed  and 
woimdeil  were  taken  away  by  their  comrades.  I  have  a  large 
number  of  horses  and  cows.  T  destroyed  a  large  amount  of  ammu- 
nition." 

General  Methuen  reported  his  losses  as  25  oflBcers,  2,183  men 
killed  and  wounded  and  18  men  missing.  This  success  seemed  to 
remove  the  first  obstacle  in  the  path  of  the  Kimberley  relief 
column,  but  the  incompleteness  of  the  dispatch  left  room  for  mis- 
givings. 

Matters  did  not  look  so  promising  in  Natal,  where,  from  Pieter- 
maritzburg  to  Ladysmith,  the  situation  was  most  peculiar.  Such 
an  alternation  of  forces  was  never  before  seen.  There  were  British 
troops  at  Pietermaritzburg,  Boers  at  Balgowan,  British  at  Mooi 
River,  Boers  at  Willow  Grange,  British  at  Estcourt,  Boers  at 
Ennersdale,  British  within  Ladysmith  and  Boers  without.  The 
able  military  ciitic  of  the  Morning  Post  said: 

"  Whatever  General  Joubert's  intentions  may  be,  he  is  undoubt- 
edly playing  a  deep  and  brilliant  game.  To  have  paralyzed  the 
British  advance  the  moment  it  began,  to  have  cut  the  relieving 
column  into  three  parts  and  compelled  each  to  stand  on  the  defen- 
sive, cut  off  from  its  base  and  leaving  the  latter  almost  at  the 
mercy  of  the  foe,  is  an  achievement  which  must  always  be  remem- 
bered to  his  credit  as  a  general,  however  his  future  operations  may 
be  mishandled." 

The  reports  which  immediately  followed  General  Methuen's 
dispatch  represented  the  moral  effect  of  his  victory  as  immense, 
since  the  enemy  had  boasted  that  they  could  hold  their  position 
against  all  the  forces  England  was  able  to  send  against  them.  The 
Boer  prisoners  admitted  that  their  loss  was  considerable,  and  paiil 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR  523 

warm  tributes  to  the  British  troops,  who  climbed  the  steep  kopjes 
in  the  face  of  a  murderous  discharge  as  coolly  as  if  on  parade,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  their  comrades  were  dropping  in  every 
direction.  The  Boer  fire,  although  furious  and  well  sustained, 
became  wild,  and  they  were  completely  demoralized  by  the  British 
shell  fire.  The  Ninth  Lancers,  pursuing  the  enemy,  cut  them  up 
severely  or  turned  the  retreat  into  a  rout.  The  victory  would  have 
been  more  decisive  if  the  British  had  had  more  cavalry. 

The  battle  was  the  first  important  one  on  Cape  soil.  General 
Methuen's  force  of  7,000  men  was  opposed  to  the  Boers  from  Boshof, 
Jakobsdal  and  Fauresmith.  Their  cannon  were  placed  in  excellent 
positions  and  they  made  a  stubborn  resistance.  The  British  carried 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  a  position  which  had  been  occupied  for 
weeks.  They  buried  the  Boer  dead  and  cared  for  the  wounded. 
Among  the  prisoners  were  a  German  commandant  and  six  field 
cornets.  The  Grenadiers  suffered  the  most,  and  in  storming  the 
hills  lost  two  officers  and  twenty  men. 

The  Boers  had  a  force  of  5,000  occupying  the  strongest  possible 
position,  and  their  defeat,  therefore,  was  of  the  highest  credit  to 
British  arms.  The  Queen  sent  her  congratulations  to  (Jen.  Lord 
Methuen  upon  the  brilliant  action  of  her  Guards,  the  Naval  Brigade 
and  other  brave  soldiers. 

The  public  in  England  were  vastly  encouraged  by  the  success 
of  General  Methuen,  and  believed  that  the  tide  had  turned  in  South 
Africa,  that  that  military  leader  would  march  almost  unopposed  to 
Kimberley,  that  General  Gatacre  would  soon  drive  the  Orange  Free 
Staters  across  the  Orange  River  toward  Bloemfontein.  and  that 
General  Buller  would  quickly  start  with  a  resistless  force  to  the 
relief  of  Estcourt  and  Ladvsmith. 


524  THE  bTOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

liut  inoR'  thoughtful  men  were  less  sanguine.  A  far  heavier 
battle,  they  were  confident,  awaited  General  Methuen  at  Modder 
Kivci-  than  he  had  fought  at  Belmont,  and  even  then  the  relief  of 
Kimberley  could  not  be  assured.  With  heavy  reinforcements  General 
Gatacre  would  be  faced  by  a  most  difficult  campaign  against 
Stormberg  and  other  Boer  strongholds,  and  a  strong  force  would 
be  necessary  to  hold  in  subjection  the  rebellious  Cape  Colonists, 
while  beyond  all  this  loomed  vague  and  frightful  the  bloody  work 
awaiting  the  British  army  in  the  Natal  passes. 

Other  serious  problems  could  not  be  forgotten,  among  which 
was  a  threatened  Basuto  rising  and  the  need  of  relieving  Colonel 
Baden-Powell's  gallant  little  force  at  Maf eking,  but  all  this  must 
needs  be  done  slowly  and  with  the  utmost  care.  The  feeling  was 
general  that  a  second  full  army  corps  should  be  sent  out  at  the 
earliest  moment. 

The  Kimberley  relief  column,  under  General  Methuen,  again 
came  in  collision  with  the  Boers,  November  25,  at  a  place  called 
Graspans,  which  was  carried  after  a  severe  fight,  in  which  both 
sides  lost  heavily.  The  Boer  force  was  composed  of  Transvaal  and 
Free  State  commandos,  some  2,500  strong,  supplied  with  artillery, 
and  the  whole  under  the  command  of  the  Transvaal  general,  Deler- 
raye.  The  principal  fighting  on  the  British  side  was  done  by  the 
Ninth  Brigade,  the  artillery  and  the  Naval  Brigade,  while  the 
cavalry,  as  usual,  assailed  the  flank  of  the  retreating  Boers,  who, 
however,  carried  off  their  artillery  from  the  field. 

The  following  dispatch  reached  the  London  War  Office  on 
November  26: 

"Gen.  Lord  Methuen  reports  that  he  moved  yesterday,  Novem- 
ber 25,  at  3:30  A.  M..  with  the    Ninth    Brigade,  the  mounted  corps 


THE  TUCJ  OF  WAR  525 

and  the  Naval  Brigade,  the  Guards  following  with  the  baggage.  A 
force  of  2,500  Boers,  with  six  guns,  including  two  machine  guns, 
opposed  him  near  Graspans.  The  action  commenced  at  six  A.  M. 
The  batteries  fired  shrapnel  very  accurately  until  the  heights  seemed 
clear.  Then  the  Naval  Brigade  and  infantry  assaulted  the  position. 
The  fighting  was  desperate  until  ten  A.  M.,  when  the  heights  were 
carried,  the  Boers  retreating  on  a  line  where  the  Ninth  Lancers 
had  been  placed  to  intercept  them.  The  result  is  unknown  at  the 
time  of  telegraphing.  The  artillery  took  immediate  advantage  of 
the  enemy's  retirement. 

"Early  in  the  action  500  Boers  made  an  attack  on  the  rear 
guard  brigade.  They  met  this  and  also  protected  the  flanks.  The 
Naval  Biigade  acted  with  the  greatest  gallantry  and  has  suffered 
heavily.     No  particulars  are  yet  known. 

"  The  enemy  showed  the  greatest  stubbornness.  They  must 
have  suffered  heavily.  Twenty  have  been  i)uried.  Thirty-five  killed 
and  forty  wounded  are  known  of.  More  than  fifty  horses  were 
found  dead  in  one  place.     One  battery  fired  5(H)  rounds. 

"  The  force  must  halt  one  day  at  Graspans  to  rest  and  replenish 
their  ammunition.  The  force  worked  splendidly,  and  are  prepared 
to  overcome  any  ditficulty.  'i'he  Naval  lirigade.  Ifoyal  Marines, 
Second  V()i-kshir(^  iiight  lnfantr>  and  Kii-st  North  Lancashire  Regi- 
ment especially  distinguished  themselves. 

"Regarding  Thursday's  fight,  81  Boers  were  killed  or  otherwise 
accounted  for,  64  wagons  were  burned,  and  a  inviso  (piantity  of 
powder,  5,000  rounds  of  ammunition  and  75(1  shells  wei-o  bh)wn  up. 
Albrecht  commanded  the  iioer  artillery.  Oelerraye  was  in  cjiief 
command." 

One  of  the  wounded    i{o(M"  jirisoners,  wIhmi   ask(>il    liis  opinion  of 


526  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

the  British  bayonet  charge,  replied:  "Great  heavens!  do  you  think 
1  waited  for  that  ?  " 

The  number  of  British  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  Boers  up 
to  November  15  was  given  out  in  London  as  39  officers  and  1,237 
men,  together  with  62  others  known  as  political  prisoners.  The 
official  statement  of  losses  from  October  15  to  November  15  was: 
Two  hundred  and  twenty-two  killed,  881  w^ounded  and  1,676  missing, 
making  the  total  loss,  from  all  causes,  2,779.  On  the  1st  of  Decem- 
ber the  statement  was  made  that  the  total  casualty  list  amounted 
to  4,180,  of  whom  408  were  killed,  1,806  wounded  and  1,966  missing. 

The  Kimberley  relief  column,  under  General  Methuen,  reached 
the  Modder  River,  which  was  at  full  flood,  November  28,  and  found 
the  Boers  intrenched  on  the  north  bank,  with  two  heavy  guns  and 
four  Krupp  guns  in  position,  and  a  force  said  to  number  8,000, 
though  later  reports  showed  it  was  less.  The  action  was  opened 
on  the  part  of  the  British  by  a  cannonade  from  the  field  batteries 
and  rifle  fire  from  the  infantry  on  the  southern  side  of  the  river. 
The  fire,  which  was  at  long  range,  lasted  the  entire  day,  and  under 
its  cover  a  small  British  force  was  enabled  to  cross  the  stream  on 
pontoons,  the  loss  on  both  sides  being  slight.  The  Boers  were 
finally  driven  from  their  position,  and  the  British  column  found 
itself  within  twenty-two  miles  of  Kimberley,  a  tremendous  task 
still  confronting  it  before  it  could  relieve  the  beleaguered  garrison. 

General  Methuen  added,  regarding  this  battle:  "'It  was  one  of 
the  hardest  and  most  trying  fights  in  the  annals  of  the  British 
army.  I  speak  in  terms  of  the  highest  praise  of  all  engaged,  espe- 
cially the  two  batteries  of  artillery." 

The  making  up  of  a  fifth  division  for  South  Africa  now  began, 
to  number  11,013  officers  and    men,  with   1,263   horses,  18  field  and 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR  527 

9  machine  guns.  A  detailed  list  of  the  British  army  iu  South 
Africa  at  that  time  was:  Thirteen  cavalry  regiments  or  parts  of 
regiments,  4  batteries  of  horse  artillery,  22  field  batteries,  2  mountain 
batteries,  2  companies  of  garrison  artillery,  54  battalions  of  infantry, 
30  companies  army  service  corps,  1()  companies  army  medical  corps 
and  5  companies  army  ordnance  corps.  There  were  besides  3  com- 
panies of  fortress,  4  companies  of  field,  2  companies  of  railway, 
1  division  of  telegraph  engineers,  1  section  of  balloon  engineers,  1 
bridging  battalion  and  1  engineer  field  troop.  To  Ije  accurate,  it 
should  be  added  that  in  this  list  were  1  battery  of  mountain  artil- 
lery, 2  battalions  of  infantry  and  a  part  of  a  regiment  of  cavah y.  who 
were  undeniably  in  South  Africa,  but  they  were  prisoners  of  the  Boers. 

On  November  26  a  junction  was  made  between  the  troops 
from  Mooi  River  and  those  at  Estcourt,  and  the  entire  garrison 
moved  to  Frere,  on  the  railway,  ten  miles  north  of  E.stcourt, 
Although  General  Methuen  had  made  some  progress  toward  Kini- 
berley,  it  was  only  trifling,  and  the  real  work  was  still  before  him. 
That  he  underestimated  the  difficulty  was  shown  by  his  call  for 
reinforcements,  which  were  promptly  forwarded.  They  comprised 
two  battalions  of  infantry,  a  battery  of  artillery  and  a  squadron 
of  cavalry. 

The  isolation  of  Ladysmith,  Estcourt  and  other  points  by  the 
Boers  compelled  the  beleaguered  forces  to  resort  to  the  only  method 
left  them  of  communicating  with  their  friends  outside.  This  was 
by  means  of  carrier  pigeons,  a  method  <Mn ployed  long  l>efore  the 
discovery  of  the  telegraph,  and  one  which,  uudn-  certain  conditions, 
such  as  those  named,  must  remain  the  most  effective  until  some 
new  means  is  brought  into  use,  such  as  that  of  wireless  telegraphy, 
which,  it  would  seem,  ought  to  supply  the  '*  long  felt  want." 


528  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

A  good  pigeon  will  Hy  more  than  sixty  miles  an  hour  over 
short  distances.  In  Germany,  by  means  of  an  ingenious  arrange- 
ment, the  speed  is  ascertained  with  great  care  and  accuracy.  The 
bird  is  taught  to  announce  its  arrival  at  its  loft  by  pecking  with 
its  beak  against  the  closet  trapdoor  of  the  dovecote.  This  action 
sets  in  motion  machinery,  which  throws  open  the  door,  admits  the 
bird  and  at  the  same  time  rings  a  bell  hanging  in  the  attendant's 
room.  It  requires  the  utmost  patience  to  train  these  intelligent 
birds,  but,  as  in  the  South  African  war,  this  labor  is  more  than 
justified. 

If  the  message  to  be  carried  is  a  long  one,  it  is  reduced  from 
the  original  by  photographic  process,  writing  covering  fully  a  foot 
of  surface  being  thus  compressed  into  an  area  of  a  square  inch. 
This  tiny  photograph  is  then  rolled  and  placed  within  a  quill, 
which  is  introduced  among  the  tail  feathers  and  carefully  bound 
there.  The  dispatch  is  removed  by  the  officer  at  the  receiving 
station  and  with  the  aid  of  the  powerful  oxyhydrogen  microscope 
the  writing  is  magnified  to  more  than  its  first  dimensions.  At 
Ladysmith,  probably  due  to  defective  appliances,  the  dispatches 
were  not  subjected  to  this  process,  only  a  few  words  being  sent. 
When  these  dispatches  came  under  the  eyes  of  a  reporter  or 
correspondent,  he  did  all  the  magnifying  necessary. 

News  from  the  seat  of  war  was  delayed  so  long  that  a  feel- 
ing of  uneasiness  spread  at  home,  the  fear  being  that  the 
government  was  holding  back  important  dispatches  of  new  disasters 
to  their  arms.  When  at  last  the  official  telegrams  were  given  out, 
they  were  not  so  important  as  suspected,  and  by  no  means  satisfactory. 

As  illustrative  of  some  of  the  grim  humor  of  the  war,  it  was 
stated  by  a  coiTespondent    that,  while  efforts  were    beins    made  at 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR  52l» 

Estcourt  to  heliograph  to  the  beleaguered  troops,  the  watchful  Boers 
caught  the  messages  and  returned  the  reply:  "Will  be  with  you 
tomorrow." 

On  November  15  an  armored  train  ran  off  the  track  north  of 
Frere  station,  near  Estcourt,  and  was  shelled  l)y  the  Boers,  who 
repeated  what  they  had  already  done  almost  times  without  number — 
outwitted  the  British.  The  train  was  not  disturl)ed  on  its  outward 
trip,  but  derailed  as  it  was  returning,  so  that  the  cars  were  over- 
turned. The  moment  this  occurred  the  Boers  opened  with  a  hot 
fire  at  close  range.  The  only  gun  aboard  the  train  was  a  naval 
seven-pounder,  which  had  time  to  fire  but  three  shots  when  it  was 
shattered  by  the  heavier  artillery  of  the  enemy. 

The  Durban  Infantry  and  Dublin  Fusiliers,  who  manned 
the  train,  formed  in  skirmishing  order  and  kept  up  a  rifle  fire,  but 
the  enemy  were  much  more  numerous  and  rained  shot  and  siudl 
upon  them.  The  British  officers  displayed  admirable  coolness,  and 
no  man  was  more  conspicuous  than  Winston  Churchill,  who  was 
acting  as  a  newspaper  correspondent,  was  taken  prisouLT  and  after- 
ward escaped.  While  a  number  of  men  wore  working  despemtely  to 
release  the  engine  and  the  wrecked  cars,  he  seized  a  rifle  and  joined 
the  covering  party,  who  were  under  a  heavy  fire.  Three  charges  were 
made  upon  the  Boers,  who  were  driven  ))ack.  l>ut  the  British  wore  out- 
numbered and  finally  worsted.  Thoir  loss  was  three  killed,  nine 
wounded  and  about  fifty  prisoners,  who  wen^  taken  to  Pretoria,  where 
it  was  said  they  were  received  with  bared  heads  and  treated  with  all 
courtesy. 


CHAPTER  XXVIIl 

ON    CHRISTMAS    DAY    EIGHTEEN    HUNDRED    AND    NINETY-NINE. 

The  most  di.squieting  news  was  that  wliich  indicated  a  possibility 
of  Dutch  disaifection  in  the  Afrikander  popuhition  of  Cape  Colony. 
The  Dutch  here  would  naturally  hold  the  ties  of  blood  closer  than 
those  of  political  feeling  and  many  of  them  naturally  sympathized 
with  Oom  Paul's  followers.  For  a  time  this  neutralized  the  work 
of  General  Gatacre's  division  and  General  French's  cavalry  command. 
These  commands  temporarily  were  forced  to  withdraw  from  the 
main  advance  and  do  police  duty  in  the  disaffected  districts  and 
guard  the  railway  communications  essential  to  the  safety  of  the 
division.  Sir  Alfred  Milner  issued  a  proclamation  calling  out  the 
Cape  Colony  Volunteers  and  Rifle  Clubs  for  service.  Meanwhile, 
steps  were  taken  at  Aldershot  Camp  in  England  to  form  a  sixth 
division  by  calling  for  volunteers  from  the  militia  reserves,  so  as  to 
raise  it  to  its  full  strength,  with  a  view  of  roliiforring  the  army  in 
Africa. 

Gen.  BuUer  and  iiis  staff  started  for  Frere  on  the  night  of 
December  5.  This  news,  and  also  that  Gen.  Methuen  had  assumed 
active  command  of  his  division,  awakened  intense  interest  in 
England,  for  it  clearly  indicated  that  an  important  and  decisive 
battle  w^as  at  hand.  Methuen's  communications  were  temporarily 
cut,  by  the  Boers  blowing  u[)  of  a  railway  culvert  near  Gnivspan. 
and  severing  the  telegraph , wires,  but  the  enemy  were  dislodged 
after  a  day's  work. 

When  all  wore   in  this  high  state  of  expectancy,  England  wrh 

(531) 


532  TilK  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

f 

shocked   DecemlxM-    lOMi    by  the   receipt   of  the   following  message 

from  (Ion.  (latjun'e: 

"I  deeply  regret  to  inform  you  that  I  have  met  with  a  serious 
reverse.  In  an  attack  this  morning,  on  Stormberg,  I  was  misled  by 
the  guides,  and  found  impracticable  ground." 

In  a  later  dispatch  to  the  War  Office,  Gen.  Forestier-Walker 
said:  "In  reference  to  my  telegram  of  this  morning  the  casualties 
so  far  as  known  at  present  are: 

"Second  Royal  Irish  Rifles,  killed,  none;  wounded,  Lieut-Col. 
Eager,  ^lajor  Seaton,  Capts.  Dell  and  Kelley,  and  Lieuts.  Stephens 
and  Barnardston. 

"Suffolk  Regiment,  Capt.  Weir  and  three  Lieutenants  missing; 
rank  and  file,  none  killed,  12  wounded  and  290  missing. 

"Berkshire  Mounted  Infantry,  one  killed. 

"Seventy-fourth  Battery,  a  Lieutenant  and  three  men  severely 
wounded,  a  Major  and  one  man  slightly  wounded,  and  one  gunner 
killed. 

"Northumberland  Fusiliers,  Major  Stevens,  Capts.  Fletcher  and 
Morley  and  three  Lieutenants  missing;  also  306  non-commissioned 
officers  and  men  missing. 

"  The  remainder  of  the  casualties  will  be  wired  as  soon  as 
known." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Gen.  Gatacre  was  in  command  of 
the  division  operating  against  the  Free  States  and  Afrikander 
insurgents  on  the  line  of  East  London  Burghersdorp  railway. 
The  following  is  the  report  made  by  Gen.  Gatacre  to  Gen.  Sir 
Frederick  Forestier-Walker  at  Cape  Town: 

"  The  idea  of  the  attack  on  Stormberg  seemed  to  promise  cer- 
tain success,  but  the  distance   was    underestimated   by   myself  and 


>: 

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ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY,  18^0  585 

the  local  guides.  A  policeman  took  us  round  several  miles;  con- 
sequently we  were  marching  from  9:30  P.  M.  to  4  A.  M..  and 
were  landed  in  an  impossible  position.  T  do  not  consider  that  the 
error  was  intentional. 

"The  Boers  commenced  tiring  from  the  top  of  an  unscalable 
hill  and  wounded  a  good  many  of  our  troops  while  they  were  in 
the  open  plain.  The  Second  Battalion  of  the  Northumberland 
Fusiliers  tried  to  turn  the  enemy  out,  hut  failed.  The  Second 
Battalion  of  the  Irish  Rifles  seized  a  kopje  near  by  and  held  on, 
supported  by  the  mounted  infantiy  and  Tape  police.  The  guns 
under  Jeffreys  could  not  have  been  better  handled.  One  gun  was 
overturned  in  a  deep  ravine  and  one  sunk  in  ijuicksand,  and  could 
not  be  extricated  in  time  to  be  available. 

"Seeing  the  situation  1  dispatched  a  ridei-  to  Molteno  with  the 
news,  and  collected  and  withdrew  my  force  to  a  ridge  about  nine 
miles  distant.  The  Boert<'  guns  were  remarkal^ly  well  served. 
They  carried  accurately  for  5.0()0  yards.  I  am  holding  Bushman's 
Hoek  and  Cypher  (int.  I  am  sending  the  Second  Battalion  of 
Fusiliers  to  Sterkstroom  to  recuperate.  The  wounded  are  at 
Queenstown. 

"The  number  of  the  rank  and  tile  rejxtited  missing  from  the 
Northumberland    Fusiliers  is  8f)().  not  301).  as    previously    reported." 

There  was  more  than  one  exasperating  fact  connected  with 
this  reverse.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  success  of  the  movement 
virtually  depended  upon  a  single  policeman!  He  kept  the  army 
tramping  back  and  forth  from  half-past  nine  Saturday  night  until 
four  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and  the  expressed  belief  of  General 
Gatacre  that  the  policeman  honestly  blundered  was  precious  poor 
consolation    for    the    disaster.     Moreover,    the    worse   than    useless 

29 


U'M\  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

guide  finally  piloted  the  British  force  into  an  impossible  position, 
where  it  was  murderously  raked  on  all  sides  ))y  the  Boer  rifle  and 
artillery  fire,  and  with  not  an  earthly  chance  of  replying.  General 
Gatacre  admitted  that  both  he  and  the  local  guides  underestimated 
the  distance  to  be  traversed,  which,  of  course,  destroyed  all  the 
calculations  upon  which  success  was  based.  The  British  suffered  a 
loss  of  672  oflBcers  and  men  and  two  guns  (the  Boers  claimed  throe), 
and  it  is  believed  that  175  of  the  men  were  lost  before  the  surrender. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  impatience  and  irritation  caused  by 
this  blunder.  Lord  Durham,  in  a  speech  which  cooler  heads  con- 
demned, declared  that  General  Gatacre  should  not  have  had  a 
command  in  South  Africa.  While  he  was  brave  to  the  point  of 
rashness,  he  seriously  overworked  his  men  in  the  Soudan  by 
forced  marches,  and  when  they  were  hundreds  of  miles  from  a 
possible  enemy.  There  was  no  denying  that  General  Gatacre  was 
a  most  exacting  commander.  The  war  office  gave  the  number  of 
killed  as  twenty-three.  Sixty-seven  of  the  British  wounded  were 
captured  by  the  Boers.  General  Gatacre's  men  shot  their  horses 
and  spiked  their  guns  before  abandoning  their  position  on  Sunday. 
A  dispatch  from  Cape  Town  said:  "Further  details  of  General 
Gatacre's  defeat  show  that  he  walked  blindly  into  an  ambush. 
This  has  caused  great  indignation  here,  as  he  has  with  him  the 
Cape  police,  who  are  the  best  scouts.  They  know  the  country 
well.  These  men  appear  to  have  been  in  the  rear  and  the  infantry 
in  front.     Unfortunately  the  defeat  occurred  in  a  disturbed  district." 

The  Boers  claimed  that  their  force  at  Stormberg  numbered 
only  800  men  and  they  were  astonished  to  see  the  British  retreat- 
ing. Had  the  latter  arrived  a  half  hour  sooner,  the  Boers  would 
have  been  surprised. 


ON   (llIIIS'l'MAS   DA^  .   \s\)\) 


ijoi 


The  followinjj^  dispatch  from  General  Methuen  was  dated  at 
half-past  seven  on  the  evening  of  December  12: 

"As  the  Boers  occupied  the  trenches  strongly  tliis  morning,  I 
retired  in  perfect  order  here,  where  I  am  in  security.  I  gather 
from  prisoners  and  from  Boers  speaking  to  ambulance  men  that 
their  losses  were  temble,  some  corps  being  quite  wiped  out.  They 
have  been  most  kind  to  my  wounded." 

The  War  Office  account  of  the  battle,  sent  by  Gen.  Sir  Fred- 
erick Forestier- Walker  from  Cape  Town,  was  as  follows: 

"Methuen  wires  as  follows  under  date  of  December  12: 
"'The  artillery  shelled  a  very  strong  {)()sition  held  by  the  enemy 
on  a  long,  high  kopje  from  four  o'clock  till  dusk  on  Sunday.  Tho 
Highlanders  attacked  at  daybreak  on  Monday  the  south  end  of  tlie 
kopje.  The  attack  failed.  The  Guaids  were  ordered  to  protect 
the  Highlanders'  right  and  rear. 

"'The  cavalry  and  mounted  infantry  and  a  howitzer  artillery 
battery  attacked  the  enemy  on  the  left,  while  the  (luards  on  the 
right  and  center  were  supported  by  field  artillery  and  howitzer 
aitillery  which  shelled  the  position  from  daybreak.  At  1:15  P.  M. 
I  sent  the  Gordons  to  support  the  Highlanders. 

"'The  troops  held  their  own  in  front  of  the  enemy's  entrench- 
ments until  dark,  the  position  extending,  including  the  kopje,  si.\ 
miles  toward  Modder  River. 

"  *At  one  o'clock  Tuesthiy  I  am  holding  the  position  and  entrencli- 
ing  myself.    I  have  to  face  at  least  12.000  men.    (^iii-  h)sses  were  great.'  '* 

General  Methuen  shelled  the  Boor  positi(^u  at  .Ma;:ersfontein  on 
Sunday,  December  10,  and  early  the  next  mornin;.'  hcLran  an  infantry 
attack  which  was  a  complete  failure.  Despite  severe  losses,  the 
British  held    their   advance    ground   tmtil    Tuesday   morning,   when 


538  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

General  Methuen  withdrew  to  his  former  position.  These  actions 
were  thus  described  by  the  Daily  News  correspondent: 

"After  shelling  the  Boers  all  day  Sunday  with  our  howitzers 
and  naval  guns,  the  whole  force,  with  the  exception  of  those  left 
to  guard  the  camp,  moved  forward.  The  attack  was  opened  at  3:20 
o'clock  Monday  morning  by  the  Highland  Brigade.  In  front  were 
the  Seaforths,  Argyles  and  the  'Black  Watch,'  with  the  Gordons 
and  the  Highland  Light  Infantry  in  support.  The  men  marched 
in  quarter  column  formation.  The  Highlanders  had  reached  to 
wathin  two  hundred  yards  of  the  Boer  trenches  when  a  deadly  fire 
was  opened  on  the  front  and  the  right  flank.  Here  about  two 
hundred  men  were  mown  down,  and  those  leading  were  forced  to 
retire.  The  supports  were  then  brought  up,  but  they  also  failed 
to  carry  the  kopje,  and  the  right  flank  was  thus  in  serious  jeopardy. 
The  guns,  however,  dashed  to  the  rescue  and,  protected  by  their 
fire,  our  shattered  force  was  able  to  retire.  The  4.7-inch  naval 
gun  opened  on  the  enemy  at  six  A.  M.  When  our  right  flank  was 
threatened,  two  squadrons  of  the  Twelfth  Lancers  were  dismounted 
and  skirmished  through  the  bushy  country,  clearing  and  holding  it 
until  the  afternoon.  Our  terrific  artillery  fire  provoked  no  response 
except  from  the  enemy's  rifles. 

"All  efforts  to  caiTy  the  position  having  failed,  the  action  at 
mid-day  sank  into  a  desultory  artillery  flre,  wdth  the  exception  of 
some  sharp  skirmishing  on  the  right  flank. 

"At  3:45  the  Highlanders  formed  up  to  renew-  the  attack  on 
the  entrenched  kopje,  but  the  Boers,  who  had  made  no  use  of 
their  artillery  during  the  whole  day,  now  opened  on  them  with  a 
heavy  shrapnel  fire.  The  brigade  was  immediately  forced  to  retire 
again,  and  the  fight  between  the  guns  continued  until  dark. 


ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY,  1899  689 

"The  losses  on  both  sides  were  very  severe.  Many  Boers  were 
killed  in  the  trenches  and  wire  entanglements." 

The  great  losses  of  the  Boers  were  due  to  their  roming  upon 
open  ground  on  the  British  front  with  the  purpose  of  attacking 
their  enemy's  flank,  but  they  were  checked  by  the  Guards  and 
artillery.  The  fearful  loss  of  the  Highlanders  came  almost  in  a 
single  minute  at  200  yards.  "  Startled  and  overwhelmed,"  says  one 
correspondent,  "the  brigade  retired  quickly,  but  rallied  and  retained 
their  position."  The  Guards,  having  crossed  the  open  veldt  against 
the  trenches  on  the  right,  fought  an  invisible  foe  for  fifteen  hours. 

But  for  the  disaster  to  the  Highland  Brigade,  the  British  loss 
would  have  been  slight.  These  men  were  pushed  forward  in  the 
darkness  in  the  hope  of  surprising  the  enemy,  who,  l)eiiig  well 
informed  by  scouts,  were  too  cautious  thus  to  be  caught.  P^'om  a 
British  point  of  view  the  failure  was  peculiarl}  trying,  since  it 
approached  so  near  success. 

The  news  of  General  Methuen's  defeat,  following  on  the  heels 
of  General  Gatacre's  reverse,  caused  intense  depression  in  Great 
Britain.  Cape  Town  was  filled  with  dismal  forebodings.  There  were 
reports  of  more  Dutch  disaffection  from  the  eastern  l>ordor  of 
the  Colony. 

The  list  of  casualties  at  Magersfontein,  as  given  Ity  tlio  War 
Office,  showed  that  the  Highland  Brigade  alone  lost  (iofi  in  killed 
and  wounded,  beside  which  there  were  8  killed  and  loC.  wounded, 
making  the  total  casualties  833. 

In  his  telegram  after  the  fight,  General  Methuen  sai<l  it  was 
one  of  the  hardest  and  most  trying  in  the  annals  of  the  British 
army.  Such  a  statement  is  generally  accepted  as  being  .Iccided  by 
the  loss   incurred   in    overcoming   the  daiigtM-.     On  this  |>oint.  it  is 


540  THE  iSTOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

interest iiit,'  to  compare  the  action  of  Modeler  River  with  some  other 
actions  in  which  the  British  army  has  been  engaged  in  the  present 
century. 

General  Methuen's  force  was  about  6,500  strong.  His  losses  in 
killed  and  wounded,  as  stated,  was  833.  The  figures  given  below 
are  taken  from  a  table  published  as  to  percentage  losses  in  historic 
battles. 

Killed  and  Per- 

Strength.  Wounded.  centage. 

Talavera,  1809 20,500  6,250  30 

Albuera,  1811 8,200  3,990  48 

Barossa,  1811 4,400  1,210  27 

Salamauca,  1812 26,000  3,386  13 

Quatre  Bras,'1815 12,000  2,504  20 

Waterloo,  1815 28,991  6,932  29 

Firozshah,  1845 16,000  2,415  15 

Sobraon,  1846 15,500  2,063  18 

Chillianvvallah,  1849 15,000  2,388  15 

Alma,  1854 21,500  2,002  9 

Inkerman,  1854 7,464  2,357  31 

Modder  River,  1899 6,500  833  13 

Lord  Methuen's  loss  in  oflBcers  was:  Killed,  4;  wounded,  19; 
Total,  23.  One  battalion  of  British  infantry  entered  the  action  at 
Salamanca  with  27  officers  and  420  rank  and  file;  it  had  24  oflBcers 
and  342  rank  and  file  killed  and  wounded. 

This  was  the  first  heard  of  the  use  of  barbed  wire  by  the 
Boers,  who  had  evidently  read  of  the  American  operations  in  front 
of  Santiago.  Undoubtedly  the  obstruction  was  very  effective  and 
prevented  the  British,  in  making  their  bayonet  charges,  from  reach- 
ing the  Boer  intrenchments,  from  which  came  the  deadly  fire  of 
the  riflemen.  Of  necessity,  the  failure  of  the  attack  caused  the 
English  to  withdraw  to  the  shelter  of  the  intrenchments  at  the 
bridge-head  on  the  Modder  River,  where  they  were  less  liable  to 
an  attack  than  of  having  their  communications  cut  with  the 
Orange  River,  and  of  suffering  from  a  lack  of  supplies. 


ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY,  1899  541 

There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  bravery  of  the  English  any 
more  than  the  skill  and  a])ility  of  the  Boer  military  leaders.  The 
Boers  possessed  an  inestimable  advantage  in  having  ii  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  country.  Also  the  mobility  of  their  forces 
seemed  to  be  supplemented  by  a  penetration  of  the  designs  of  the 
English  generals.  This  enabled  them  to  concentrate  with  over- 
whelming rapidity  at  all  threatened  points,  and,  when  repulsed,  to 
move  away  swiftly  and  prepare  for  the  next  collision. 

The   charge   that   General    Methuen    neglected    to    reconnoiter 
before   making  his  attack  on   Monday  morning,  was  unjust,  for  he 
had  spent  the  two  previous  days  in   reconnoitering,  and   that   pre- 
caution doubtless  told  the  Boers  precisely  where  the  attack  would 
be   made.      Nor  is   it  just   to   blame   the    British  for  lighting  upon 
grounds  chosen   by  their  enemies,   for  such  was  the   logic    of  the 
situation.     The  Boer  tactics  were   new  to  the  invaders,  who  were 
compelled  to  keep   to  the  railway  lines  in  order  to  maintain  their 
supply   of  food   and   ammunition.     There   was   much   truth    in    the 
remark  credited  to   President  Kruger  that  the  British   were   com- 
pelled to  fight  in  the  dark.     The  defeat  decided  the   Briti.sh   (iov- 
ernment  to  send  out  the  Sixth  Division,  and  to  organize  an  eighth. 
These   two   reverses  in  such  close  succession,   it   won  hi    seem, 
were  enough  to  test  to  the  utmost  the   equanimity   of   the    British 
nation,  and  yet   within   that  same   fateful   week,   came    the    most 
staggering  l)low  of  all,  in  the  form  of  the  following  dispatch  from 
Gen.  Sir  Redvers  Buller,  commander  of  the  British  forces  in  Soutii 
Africa,  who  was  moving  to  the  relief  of  Ladysmith: 

"Chieveley  Camp,  December  15,  6:20  P.  M.— I  regret  to  report 
a  serious  reverse.  I  moved  in  full  strength  from  the  camp  near 
Chieveley   at   four  o'clock   this  morning.     There  are  two  fordable 


54-J  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

places  in  the  Tugelii  River,  and  it  was  my  intention  to  force  a 
passage  through  one  of  them.  They  are  about  two  miles  apart  and 
1  intended  to  force  one  or  the  other  with  one  brigade  supported  by 
the  centra]  brigade.  Hart  was  to  attack  the  left  drift.  Hildyard  had 
the  right  of  the  road.     Lyttleton  was  in  the  center  to  support  either. 

"Early  in  the  day  1  saw  that  Hart  would  not  be  able  to  force 
a  passage,  and  directed  him  to  withdraw.  He  had,  however, 
attacked  with  great  gallantry.  His  leading  battalion,  the  Connaught 
Rangers,  I  fear,  suffered  a  great  deal.  Colonel  Brooke  was  severely 
wounded. 

"T  then  ordered  Hildyard  to  advance,  which  he  did.  His  lead- 
ing regiment,  the  East  Surrey,  occupied  Colenso  station  and  the 
houses  near  the  bridge.  At  that  moment  I  heard  that  the  whole 
artillery  I  had  sent  back  to  that  attack,  namely,  the  Fourteenth 
and  Sixty-sixth  Field  Batteries  and  six  naval  twelve-pounder  quick- 
firers,  the  whole  under  Colonel  Long,  were  out  of  action. 

"It  appears  that  Long,  in  his  desire  to  be  \vithin  effective 
range,  advanced  close  to  the  river.  It  proved  to  be  full  of  the 
enemy,  who  suddenly  opened  a  galling  tire  at  close  range,  killing 
all  the  horses,  and  the  gunners  were  compelled  to  stand  to  their 
guns.     Some  wagon  teams  got  shelter  for  troops  in  a  donga. 

*■  Desperate  efforts  were  made  to  bring  out  the  field  guns,  but 
the  fire  was  too  severe.  Only  two  were  saved  by  Captain  Schofield 
and  some  drivers,  whose  names  I  will  furnish.  Another  most 
gallant  attempt  with  three  teams  was  made  by  an  oflBcer  whose 
name  I  will  obtain.  Of  eighteen  horses  thirteen  were  killed,  and 
as  several  drivers  were  wounded  I  would  not  allow  another  attempt. 

"  As  it  seemed  there  would  be  great  loss  of  life  in  an  attempt 
to   force  a  passage   unsupported  by  artillery,  I  directed  the  troops 


ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY,  1S99  543 

to  withdraw,  which  they  did  in  good  order.  Throughout  the  day  a 
considerable  force  of  the  enemy  was  pressing  my  right  tiank,  but 
was  kept  back  by  the  mounted  men  under  Lord  Dundonald  and 
part  of  Barton's  Brigade.  The  day  was  intensely  hot  and  most 
trying  on  the  troops,  whose  conduct  was  excellent. 

"We  have  abandoned  ten  guns  and  lost  by  shell  fire  one.  The 
losses  of  Hart's  Brigade,  are,  I  fear,  heavy,  though  the  proportion 
of  severely  wounded  is  not,  I  hope,  large.  The  P^ourteenth  and 
Sixty-sixth  Batteries  also  sustained  severe  losses. 

"We  have  retired  to  the  camp  at  Chieveley." 

The  news  did  not  reach  London  until  midnight,  too  late  for  it 
to  become  generally  known  to  the  public  until  the  morrow,  but 
not  too  late  for  the  leading  journals  to  express  their  consternation. 
It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  the  cup  of  bitterness  was  filled  to  overflow- 
ing.    The  Morning  Post  thus  expressed  itself: 

"We  venture  to  say  that  a  disaster  to  General  Buller's  column 
has  seemed  beyond  possibility  to  the  man  in  the  street,  for  on 
General  Buller's  victory  he  had  pinned  his  faitli.  The  British 
people  must  accept  the  reverse  with  the  calm  that  has  already 
proved  their  pluck  and  bear  themselves  as  true  men  in  advei-sity." 
The  Posfs  military  expert  regarded  the  affair  niWwr  as  a  repulse 
than  a  defeat.  He  said  that  the  attack  was  not  pushiMi  liome,  but 
was  broken  off  in  the  middle. 

The  Ddlli/  Neirs  said  the  intelligence  was  the  saddest  that  had 
reached  England  since  the  Indian  Mutiny.  General  Buller,  it 
declared,  was  not  routed,  but  was  seriously  checked.  "  Wluit,  perhaps, 
is  most  of  all  to  be  feared,  is  the  effect  it  will  have  on  Cape 
Colony.  Reinforcements  urgently  needed  l)oth  in  Natal  and  at 
Modder  River  may  have  to  be  employed  elsewhere." 


544  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Another  military  critic,  one  of  the  ablest   of  authorities,  said: 

"General  Duller  proposed  to  push  his  way  across  the  river  by 
main  force,  without  attempting  to  gain  any  advantages  over  the 
enemy  by  maneuvering.  What  occuired  was  the  now  familiar 
story  of  concealed  Boers  and  British  troops  marching  blindly  to  the 
very  muzzles  of  their  rifles.  It  would  not  be  fair  to  criticise  with- 
out knowing  more  of  the  facts,  but  it  is  bitter  to  have  to  use 
almost  the  same  form  of  words  three  times  in  one  week  in  com- 
menting on  three  separate  reverses." 

The  Daily  Graphic  said:  "It  is  difficult  at  the  moment  to 
measure  the  possible  consequences  of  the  reverse.  It  is  not  easy 
to  see  how  General  Buller  can  again  advance  until  he  is  reinforced, 
and  meanwhile  the  situation  at  Ladysmith  is  most  perilous. 
Greater  issues,  however,  than  the  safety  of  General  White's  gar- 
rison are  involved.  The  credit  of  the  empire  and  the  allegiance  of 
British  South  Africa  are  at  stake.  The  situation  demands  calmness, 
but  resolution.  The  South  African  field  force  should  be  made  up 
to  at  least  150,000  as  soon  as  possible." 

The  Chronicle  said:  "Three  reverses  within  a  few  days  make 
this  the  gloomiest  week  since  the  war  began.  We  wanted  victory 
sorely  and  we  have  not  got  it.  General  Buller's  failure  to  force  a 
passage  of  the  Tugela  River  offers  another  disquieting  illustration 
of  that  element  of  surprise  in  Boer  tactics  which  is  the  most  strik- 
ing characteristic  of  the  campaign.  General  Buller  appears  to  have 
made  a  direct  frontal  attack  on  the  central  Boer  position.  We 
hear  nothing  of  any  turning  movement,  but  we  shall  not  cry  out 
against  him.  Some  cheering  news  must  be  sent  from  this  side  to 
the  commanders  in  South  Africa,  even  when  no  cheering  news 
comes  from  them.     Let  them  be  assured  that  we  are  losing  neither 


ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY,  lS9y  545 

confidence  nor  patience,  but  that  we  trust  them  to  make  good  all 
their  errors  and  be  steady  in  hammering  to  conquer  to  the  end. 
*I  will  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it  takes  all  summer,'  is  a  famous 
saying  of  General  Grant's  after  one  of  his  defeats.  That  is  a 
happy  reminder  for  General  Duller  in  the  very  serious  task  to 
which  he  will  apply  himself  with  all  the  more  resolution  if  he 
knows  he  is  backed  by  something  better  than  cavil  at  home." 

The  Morning  Leader  said:  ''It  will  not  affect  the  nerve  or  cow 
the  resolution  of  the  people,  who  have  not  forgotten  in  a  long 
experience  of  prosperity  how  to  put  up  with  a  reverse  of  fortune. 
There  is  a  courage  that  is  not  evoked  by  victory,  the  courage  of 
endurance  in  the  day  of  evil  things,  and  there  is  none  higher.  Wo 
have  now  to  stiffen  our  lip,  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the 
left,  and  determine  to  see  the  thing  through.  It  is  a  challenge  to 
our  blood,  our  manhood,  and  there  is  only  one  answer." 

The  Telegraph  said:  "The  moral  fibre  of  the  British  Empire 
is  now  being  tested  as  never  since  the  Crimea  and  the  Indian 
Mutiny.  We  passed  then  through  times  of  terrible  stress,  and  the 
present  trial  surely  will  not  find  us  wanting." 

The  latest  reports  showed  that  two  Boer  camps  having  been 
located,  General  Hart's  brigade  was  sent  from  Doom  Kop  westward 
to  Bridle  Drift,  and  ordered  to  cross  the  Tugela  Kiver,  advancing 
along  its  western  bank  to  the  bridge.  General  Hildyard's  brigade 
was  directed  to  cross  the  structure  and  caj)ture  the  ko})jes  on  the 
northern  bank,  while  a  cavalry  brigade  with  a  battery  of  artillery 
was  dispatched  to  the  extreme  right  flank  to  enfilade  the  bridge. 

Fire  was  opened  by  the  naval  guns  a  few  minutes  before  six 
in  the  morning.  For  some  time,  tliere  was  no  roply.  and  then  a 
severe  musketry  fire  opened    from  the    rear   of   Fort    Wylie.      Only 


640  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

800  yards  separated  the  Seventh  and  Fourteenth  batteries  from  the 
Boer  rifle  pits.  A  shell  fire  was  also  opened  from  Grobler's  Kloof 
by  the  Boers,  who  killed  the  British  artillery  horses,  wounded  all 
the  officers  of  artillery  and  compelled  the  abandonment  of  ten  guns. 

The  brigade  under  General  Hart  pushed  forward  on  the  left 
toward  the  drift,  but  encountered  a  tremendous  shell  fire  and  a 
cross  fire  from  musketry  and  was  compelled  to  retire.  Firing 
began  at  seven  o'clock  on  the  extreme  right,  where  Thorneycroft's 
Mounted  Infantry  lost  nearly  fifty  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 
Their  retreat  was  covered  by  a  regiment  made  up  of  the  King's 
Royal  Rifles,  mounted,  the  Imperial  Light  Horse  and  the  Natal 
Carbineers.  A  good  many  men  were  also  lost  by  the  South  African 
Light  Horse. 

A  second  advance  was  made  by  General  Hart's  brigade,  sup- 
ported by  General  Lyttleton,  but  they  were  again  driven  back, 
after  which  the  entire  force  withdrew  to  Chieveley.  All  the 
British  officers  and  soldiers  fought  with  the  greatest  heroism,  but 
they  had  undertaken  an  impossible  task.     The  Times  account  said: 

"The  Boer  position  was  an  exceedingly  strong  one.  There  was 
a  line  of  kopjes  elaborately  fortified  with  entrenchments  and 
emplacements,  while  our  advance  was  without  cover. 

*'The  bombardment  began  at  five  A.  M.  and  was  heavy  till 
6:30.  At  seven  o  clock,  Generals  Hildyard  and  Hart  opened  fire. 
Hart's  attack  lasted  till  ten  o'clock. 

"The  men  advanced  in  the  most  gallant  manner  across  the 
open  ground,  facing  a  terrific  fire  from  the  enemy's  masked 
batteries  and  rifle  pits.  The  Dublin  Fusiliers  crossed  the  river,  but 
retreated.  The  Connaught  Rangers  and  the  Dublin  Fusiliers  lost 
heavily. 


ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  iv.Ki  .MT 

"General  Barton  made  directly  for  Coleuso.  He  reached  the 
Tugela  by  a  series  of  brilliant  rushes,  but  was  unable  to  hold  the 
position  against  the  awful  fire  poured  in  by  the  enemy,  and 
eventually  retired  with  heavy  loss. 

"Lord  Dundonald,  with  the  mounted  men.  gallantly  attacked 
Blangwan  Hill,  but  was  repulsed. 

"The  naval  battery  made  excellent  practice." 

In  order  to  follow  intelligently,  events  in  South  Africa,  the 
reader  must  study  the  map  of  that  section.  In  the  east,  General 
Buller  had  advanced  from  Durban,  on  the  coast,  toward  Ladysmith, 
only  to  the  neighborhood  of  Colenso,  when  he  met  the  serious 
reverse  just  described.  Thus  Ladysmith,  the  most  northern  position 
held  by  the  British  under  Gen.  Sir  George  White,  in  Natal,  was 
surrounded  by  the  Boers.  To  the  northeast  are  Glencoe  and 
Dundee,  which  were  occupied  by  the  British  early  in  the  war,  an<l 
severe  battles  occurred  at  both  the  towns,  and  also  at  Elandslaagte, 
before  the  English  were  driven  out  and  compelled  to  take  refuge 
in  Ladysmith,  where  they  were  besieged    l)y  tlie  Boers. 

Now  pass  to  the  west  to  the  railway  leading  from  Cape  Town 
to  Kimberley  and  Mafeking.  Over  this  line  General  Methuen's  col- 
umn was  transported  north  for  the  purpose  of  raising  the  siege  of 
Kimberley,  and  of  invading  the  territory  of  the  enemy  by  enter- 
ing the  Orange  Free  State.  After  hard  fighting  near  the  Orange  and 
Modder  Rivers,  Methuen  advanced  to  Magersfontein,  hardly  ten 
miles  south  of  Kimberley,  where  he  encountered  the  ilecisive  defeat 
already  described,  and  was  forced  to  retreat  to  Modder  Hiver. 

Besides  opposing  the  advance  of  Methuen,  the  Boer  forces  in 
the  Orange  Free  State  pressed  down  into  the  mountains  in  tlie  south, 
thereby  compelling  the  British,  under  General  French   and  General 


548  TilK  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Gatacrc.  to  f:ice  them  in  that  section.  General  French,  with  his  cav- 
alry and  mounted  infantry,  turning  off  at  right  angles  from  the  line 
of  Methuen's  advance  upon  Kimberley,  made  his  way  to  Naauwpoort, 
and  thence  to  Arundel,  where  he  had  a  busy  time  fighting  the  Boer 
invaders  of  Cape  Colony,  a  short  w^ay  beyond  that  town.  General 
Gatacre's  advance  was  to  Molteno,  a  little  distance  beyond  which, 
among  the  Storm  berg  Mountains,  he  was  entrapped,  defeated  and 
compelled  to  fall  back  to  Molteno.  Counting  upon  victories  by 
Gatacre  and  French,  the  plan  of  campaign  was  to  invade  the 
Orange  Free  State,  but  disaster  to  both  columns  overthrew  the 
project.  It  was  useless  to  attempt  longer  to  conceal  the  fact  that 
the  Dutch  Afrikanders  of  Cape  Colony  had  joined  the  Boers  by  the 
thousands,  raising  them  to  a  strength  that  baffled  the  calculations 
of  the  British  commanders. 

So  much  depended  upon  the  success  of  General  Buller  that  his 
reverse  was  a  far-reaching  calamity.  The  relief  of  Ladysmith, 
aside  from  its  immediate  inspiring  effect,  would  have  quenched  the 
flames  of  insurrection  in  the  British  South  African  colonies.  But 
now  the  question  expanded  into  the  alarming  one  of  British 
supremacy  in  South  Africa,  of  the  ward  to  India,  and  of  Great 
Britain's  Eastern  empire,  for  there  is  no  difference  in  the  real 
meaning  of  these  expressions. 

General  Buller  was  held  powerless  by  the  loss  of  his  artillery 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tugela;  General  Methuen's  division  was  in  the 
same  predicament  at  the  Modder  River;  General  French  was 
kept  busy  in  maintaining  his  communications  with  his  base  and  in 
watching  the  enemy  in  front,  and  General  Gatacre's  position  was 
complicated  by  the  growing  disaffection  around  him. 

In  a  dispatch  dated  December  16th,  General  Buller  said: 


ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY.  ls<)9  5r.> 

"Our  losses  in  the  battle  on  December  15.  were:  officers  and 
men  killed,  82;  wounded,  667;  missing,  348. 

"The  foregoing  includes  7  officers  killed,  41  wounded,  14 
prisoners,  and  3  missing." 

The  War  Office's  list  of  casualties  in  the  Black  Watch  (Royal 
Highlanders)  Regiment  in  the  battle  of  Magersfontein,  was  41 
killed,  163  wounded,  and  111  missing.  The  total  number  of  casual- 
ties from  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  to  December  15,  not  includ- 
ing deaths  from  disease,  was  7,630. 

The  expectation  among  military  critics  was  that  General 
Buller's  attack  near  Colenso  would  be  simply  a  feint,  but  it  was 
more  than  that.  The  chief  blame  for  the  disaster  was  laid  upon 
Colonel  Long,  whose  impetuosity  led  him  to  exceed  his  orders,  with 
the  result  of  a  loss  of  a  large  portion  of  the  artillery.  And  yet, 
with  a  patience  and  magnanimity  that  were  wonderful,  few  criti- 
cisms were  heard  upon  that  rash  officer,  or  the  woeful  failure  of 
BuUer  himself. 

It  was  a  blow  to  England,  but,  courageous  to  the  last,  she  almost 
instantly  rallied,  and  gave  the  world  an  impressive  exhibition  of  the 
majesty  of  her  wrath.  There  was  no  thought  of  stopping  short  of 
anything  less  than  the  utter  stamping  out  of  the  rebellion,  no  matter 
what  the  cost  or  how  great  the  sacrifices  demanded.  On  Sunday, 
December  17,  the  War  Office  issued  orders  to  send  to  the  seat  of  war, 
all  Great  Britain's  reserves,  a  powerful  force  of  yeomanry,  others 
of  mounted  volunteers,  her  entire  available  colonial  troops,  and  a 
strong  division  of  militia.  In  other  words,  almost  the  entire  might 
of  the  British  Empire  was  to  be  hurled  into  Soutii  Africa,  under 
the  command  of  her  best  military  leaders,  for  Field  Marshal  Lord 
Roberts  was  to  go  as   Commander-in-Chief,    Gen.   Lord    Kitchener, 


550  THE  STOUY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

of  Kliartoum  fame,  was  to  accompany  him  as  second  in  command, 
and  an  iirniy  of  180,000  was  to  be  assembled  in  South  Africa. 

Field  Marshal  Lord  Roberts,  of  Kandahar,  was  born  at  Cawnpore, 
India,  in  September,  1832,  entering  the  Bengal  Artillery  in  the 
service  of  the  East  India  Company  in  1851.  His  services  were 
conspicuous  throughout  the  Mutiny,  his  bravery  in  the  field,  in 
1858,  winning  him  the  Victoria  Cross.  He  was  Assistant  Quarter- 
master-General to  Lord  Napier  in  the  Abyssinian  campaign  of  1868. 
He  commanded  the  Luram  field  force  in  the  Afghan  war,  and 
afterward  held  chief  command  of  the  army  in  Afghanistan.  He 
reoccupied  Cabul  in  1879,  and,  in  the  following  year,  made  the 
famous  march  to  Kandahar  (referred  to  in  another  chapter),  which 
gave  him  his  title,  and  relieved  that  fortress,  besieged  by  Ayoobkhan, 
the  pretender  to  the  Afghan  throne,  who  was  crushingly  defeated. 
Later,  Lord  Roberts  became  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Indian 
army.  He  was  sent  to  Natal  in  1881,  to  succeed  General  Colley, 
killed  at  Majuba  Hill,  but  did  not  reach  the  post  until  after  peace 
had  been  concluded.  He  returned  to  India,  commanded  the  Burmese 
expedition  on  the  death  of  Sir  H.  MacPherson,  and  when  ordered 
to  South  Africa,  was  commander  of  the  troops  in  Ireland, 

Gen.  Lord  Kitchener,  Chief  of  Staff  of  Lord  Roberts,  was  born 
in  1850,  and  entered  the  British  service  as  Lieutenant  of  Engineers 
in  1871.  He  served  as  a  volunteer  in  the  French  army,  during  the 
Franco-Prussian  war,  and  in  1874,  was  on  duty  under  Major  Conder 
in  the  survey  of  western  Palestine.  He  became  attached  to  the 
Anglo-Egyptian  army  in  1882,  then  being  organized  by  Sir  Evelyn 
Wood,  and  steadily  rose  to  the  chief  command,  the  climax  of  his 
career  and  fame  being  attained  by  his  capture  of  Omdurman,  the 
particulars  of  which  brilliant  campaign  are  familiar  to  all. 


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ON  CHRISTMAS  DAY,  1899  553 

No  people  could  have  met  a  crisis  with  more  unflinching 
bravery  than  did  England  in  the  middle  of  December,  1S99.  She 
saw  and  admitted  her  mistake,  and  addressed  herself  resolutely  to 
the  task  of  correcting  them. 

An  essential  requisite  in  which  she  was  deficient  was  artillery. 
One  of  the  most  acute  of  Britisli  critics  said  the  Boers  had  derived 
"the  greatest  advantage  during  the  last  few  weeks  from  the 
absence  of  position  or  heavy  artillery  on  our  lines  of  defence  in 
Natal."  Sir  George  White  was  almost  helpless  until  the  arrival  of 
the  guns  of  the  Powerful  at  Ladysmith.  The  lack  of  a  chief  of 
artillery  was  disastrous,  for  it  would  have  been  his  duty  to  make 
sure  that  the  army  was  supplied  with  siege  artillery,  position  guns 
and  howitzers.  This  deficiency  is  a  strange  one,  for  there  was  no 
responsible  staff  officer  at  headquarters. 

The  strategy  of  the  Boers  at  the  beginning  was  su[)eri()r  to 
that  of  the  British.  Joubert,  after  investing  Ladysmith,  left  a 
sufficient  force  to  maintain  the  siege,  and  then  sent  three  columns 
over  Colenso,  Weenen  and  Grey  town,  all  converging  onPietermaritz- 
burg,  with  perfect  communication  maintained  between  the  columns 
and  his  lines  of  retreat  absolutely  secured.  A  similai-  movement. 
conducted  with  equal  strategical  skill,  was  executed  by  tin*  Orange 
Boers  on  the  southern  border.  At  the  same  time  the  corps  that 
had  entered  the  Zulu  country  was  ordered  to  cross  the  lower 
Tugela  and  threaten  the  communications  between  Pietermaiit/l>iii-;_r 
and  Durban.     All  this  was  strategy  of  a  high  onhM-. 

The  British,  ho\vever,  divided  theii-  t'oices.  leaving  the  columns 
of  Buller  and  Methuen  to(t  weak  to  do  the  work  expected  of  them, 
and  with  no  possibility  of  supporting  each  other.  The  consequences 
of  these  errors  may  be  said  to  have  Iteen    inevital»k'.     Kngland  did 

30 


554  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

not  close  her  eyes  to  the  distasteful  truth,  but  set  to  work,  as  we 
have  shown,  with  grim  heroism,  to  retrieve  her  blunders.  So  it  was 
that  Christmas  day,  1899,  was  one  of  grave  anxiety  throughout  the 
Empire,  with  many  darkened  hearthstones  and  saddened  hearts, 
but  with  the  unalterable  resolution  to  carry  the  cause  of  the 
country  to  triumph  not  lessened  one  jot  or  tittle. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 


THE    PENDULUM    OF    BATTLE 


Perhaps  one  of  the  most  natural  things  in  the  world  is  the 
existence  of  considerable  sympathy  for  the  Boei*s  in  their  war  with 
Great  Britain.  This  has  shown  itself  at  various  times  in  ditlerent 
places,  but  especially  in  Europe.  The  latter  is  to  be  expected,  for 
there  the  jealousy  of  England's  mighty  power  and  transcendent 
growth  among  nations  is  deepseated  and  widespread.  The  United 
States  had  its  wars  and  wrangles  with  England,  but  no  men  respect 
each  other  so  thoroughly  as  those  whose  mettle  and  courage  have 
been  tested.  But  all  that  was  ended  long  ago,  and  Americans 
should  now  be  in  a  position  to  regard  the  contest  in  an  unpreju- 
diced light.  It  is  plain  that  our  interests,  commercial  and  hnancial, 
lie  with  England.  The  future  greatness  of  the  United  States,  never 
so  promising  as  now,  depends  upon  the  unfaltering  progress  of  the 
world  and  upon  the  dominance  of  liberal  principles  among  the 
peoples  that  are  settling  and  developing  the  waste  places  of  the 
earth.  Can  progress  be  helped  by  the  humiliation  of  England  I 
After  all,  what  more  fearful  calamity  could  befall  the  cause  of 
humanity  than  a  hurling  of  her  to  a  depth  below  that  of  any 
rival  powers?  When  conscienceless  governments  form  a  league  for 
the  oppression  and  parceling  of  helpless  nations,  a  reckoning  must 
be  made  with  England.  Many  a  time  nations  would  have  combined 
to  check  the  march  of  humanity  but  for  the  stern  interposition  of 
Great  Britain's  thunderous  "Thus  far  shalt  tliou  go.  Imt  no  farther!" 

Can  we  join  in  the  gleeful  exchiinalion  of  the  leading  German 

[OOS] 


556  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

newspaper  that  "the  decadence  of  England  is  now  apparent  to  the 
whole  world?"  Can  any  man  name  a  single  point  in  which  the 
United  States  would  be  benefited  by  the  overthrow  of  the  British 
Empire? 

It  was  when  the  Holy  Alliance  was  planning  to  crush  the 
South  American  republics  struggling  against  the  tyranny  of  Spain, 
and  virtually  to  parcel  the  western  hemisphere  among  themselves, 
that  the  British  ministry  "called  into  existence  a  new  world  to 
redress  the  balance  of  the  old."  It  was  England  that  made  the 
sacred  "Monroe  Doctrine"  possible.  Had  Canning  thrown  Great 
Britain's  influence  on  the  side  of  the  Holy  Alliance,  the  history  of 
this  continent  would  have  had  to  have  been  written  in  another 
way.  No  comparison  is  possible  between  the  mission  of  the  two 
peoples,  Boer  and  English,  in  the  march  of  civilization.  Any 
calamity  that  befell  England  would  injure  us.  What  her  friendship 
is  worth  was  proven  in  our  recent  war  with  Spain.  Again  she  was 
able  to  say  "  Hands  off ! "  to  the  nations  who  would  have  been 
eager  to  interfere  against  us,  and  none  of  them  dared  to  brave 
her  wratli.  Every  continental  power  shrinks  from  making  war 
against  England  when  it  knows  that  the  United  States  is  her  friend. 
Thus,  Americans  should  not  be  quick  to  condemn  or  wish  for  the 
unworthy  humiliation  of  a  nation  which  has  given  to  the  world 
the  best  it  possesses. 

It  has  been  noted  that  a  great  deal  has  been  said  and  written 
about  the  mistakes  of  the  British  forces  in  South  Africa.  Man\ 
seem  to  think  they  are  the  only  offenders,  in  this  respect,  but  an 
analysis  of  the  tactics  of  the  Boers,  while  showing  unexpected 
successes,  shows  also  that  they  have  committed  their  full  share  of 
blunders.      The    initiatory    stage    of   the   struggle    failed  to  show  a 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  557 

sinpfle  brilliant  offensive  movement  on  the  part  of  the  Boers,  a  fact 
which  plainly  indicates  an  element  of  weakness  either  tactically  or 
a  failure  to  understand  their  advantage  and  to  reap  its  full  benefit. 

The  subdivision  of  the  Boers  into  numerous  small  columns  has 
been  explained  on  the  ground  that  the  nature  of  the  country  and 
roads  made  it  necessary,  but  it  is  likely  this  primitive  plan  was 
adopted  without  any  such  supposed  necessity.  All  that  saved  them 
from  paying  the  fearful  penalty  of  their  rashness  was  the  failure 
of  the  British  to  concentrate  before  those  assailed  could  unite  with 
the  nearest  column.  All  wars  teem  with  impressive  lessons  of  the 
almost  invariable  fatal  consequences  of  such  a  violation  of  the 
simplest  rules  of  warfare.  What  a  feast  those  opportunities  would 
have  been  to  Napoleon  Bonaparte  or  any  great  commander! 

The  advance  of  the  Boers  beyond  the  Tugela,  while  British 
reinforcements  were  arriving,  was  saved  only  by  a  retreat  from  a 
serious  reverse,  General  Joubert  finding  himself  compelled  to  with- 
draw some  of  his  besieging  force  from  in  front  of  Ladysniith  to 
receive  the  attack  of  Hildyard.  It  was  fear  of  imperiling  the 
general  strategical  situation  that  caused  him  to  retire  when  he 
had  one  of  the  finest  of  all  opportunities  for  decisive  offensive 
operations.  Again,  had  the  Boers  selected  the  country  north  of  the 
Tugela  for  making  their  stand,  they  would  have  secured  a  much 
stronger  position  for  defense  than  that  to  the  south, 

**An  American  Soldier,"  in  the  Xnr  YorJx-  Sim,  declares  that,  as 
regards  tactics,  the  chief  fault  of  the  Boers  is  their  inability  to 
initiate  or  execute  a  tactical  offensive  action,  usually  the  most 
decisive  in  war,  and  also  their  failure  to  reap  the  full  rewards  of 
victory.  At  Estcourt  they  had  the  best  opportunity  for  a  decisive 
offensive  action,  when  they  liad  ]>oth  of  the  British  forces  south  nf 


55S  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

•Ladysinitli  cut  oif,  but  they  preferred  to  retire  rather  than  take 
their  chances  in  a  battle  which  they  would  have  to  initiate.  The 
defeat  of  Methuen  at  Modder  River  would  have  been  followed  up 
by  an  energetic  pursuit,  had  the  situations  been  reversed,  but  the 
Boers  chose  to  let  the  British  withdraw.  Had  Gatacre  been  opposed 
by  a  Sheridan  or  Stonewall  Jackson  at  Stormberg,  his  army  would 
have  vanished  as  utterly,  so  far  as  future  effectiveness  was  con- 
cerned, as  did  that  of  the  Confederate  Hood  before  the  "Rock  of 
Chickamauga." 

The  Boers  have  also  made  mistakes  in  the  selection  of  tactical 
positions,  as  at  Elands  Laagte,  where  they  occupied  two  kopjes,  or 
hills,  and  left  two  others  on  their  left,  over  which  a  flank  move- 
ment by  the  British  might  have  defeated  them.  While  their 
strategic  advances,  as  a  rule,  are  well  conceived,  their  tactical  defense 
of  positions  good  and  their  reconnaissances  excellent,  it  would  seem 
that  if  the  British  preceded  an  infantry  attack  by  an  overwhelming 
artillery  fire,  waiting  until  then  before  trying  to  turn  their  posi- 
tions, instead  of  throwing  away  energy  and  life  by  a  direct  frontal 
attack,  the  introductions  "I  regret  to  state"  would  disappear  from 
the  official  reports  of  the  officers.  It  was  precisely  these  tactics 
which  succeeded  at  Elands  Laagte  and  at  Colesburg,  which  were 
the  only  victories  in  the  early  part  of  the  war  with  which  England 
had  to  console  herself. 

No  more  convincing  instance  of  the  woeful  error  of  disregarding 
these  elemental  rules  was  furnished  than  that  of  General  Buller  at 
Tugela  River.  As  the  full  particulars  of  this  battle  were  learned, 
it  showed  that  the  British  disaster  was  caused  by  the  hopeless 
assault  upon  the  protected  positions  of  the  enemy.  Again  and 
again   were   the  brave  troops  led  into  a  slaughter  like  that  of  the 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  559 

Unionists  before  Fredricksburg,  until  the  liriti.sh  losses  in  killed, 
wounded  and  captured  exceeded  eleven  hiiiulred.  while  the  reiJOi-ted 
loss  of  the  Boers  in  killed  and  wounded  was  only  thirty-two. 

Why  it  was  that  General  Biiller  persisted  in  throwin*;  his 
doomed  troops  into  the  murderous  hell-blast  is  hard  to  understand, 
for  the  hideous  futility  of  such  attacks  had  been  demonstrated 
again  and  again,  and  no  officer  should  be  better  acquainted  with 
the  effectiveness  of  modern  arms.  Moreover,  he  had  .*<erved  in  the 
Boer  war  of  1881,  when  General  Joubert  was  also  in  command.  The 
same  tactics  were  repeated  then  with  precisely  the  same  results. 
There  is  no  more  seasoned  army  officer  in  the  field  than  General 
BuUer.  He  did  fine  service  throughout  the  Ashantee  war  of  1873-74, 
was  active  in  the  Kaffir  and  Zulu  wars  of  lS78-'79,  was,  as  we 
have  said,  in  the  Boer  war  of  1881,  was  decorated  for  his  conduct 
at  Tel-el-Kebir  in  the  Egyptian  war  of  1S82.  was  chief  of  staff  to 
Wolseley  in  the  Soudan  campaign  of  lS84-'85.  and  received  further 
decoration  for  his  service.  It  was  unjust,  therefore,  to  bring 
accusations  against  the  War  Office,  when  it  is  unquestionably  true 
that  the  best  generals  had  been  sent  into  South  Africa. 

The  statement,  late  in  December,  that  the  British  army  in 
South  Africa  would  be  speedily  increased  fully  fifty  per  cent.,  was 
misleading  to  the  general  public,  for  the  reinforcements  in  view  at 
that  time  were  as  follows:  Volunteers,  7.0(10:  yeomanry,  3,00(>, 
drafts  to  replace  the  men  lost  in  action  and  to  luing  tlie  rciriments 
then  at  the  front  up  to  their  full  war  strength,  ll2.(Ml();  cavalry 
brigade,  1,200;  Canadians  and  Australians,  2.(MM);  fifth  division, 
11,000;  sixth  division,  11,0<K):  seventh  division,  11.000.  making  a  total 
of  58,200.  The  forces  availabh^  in  South  Africa  before  this  call  was 
estimated  to  be:   Infantry,  61,S(M):   cavalrymen,   s.()()(l;    artillerymoii. 


:,()()  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

.S,l)4(),  including'  '210  i^uiis;  engineers,  3,200;  service  corps,  3,175; 
medical  corps,  2,380;  ordnance  cori)s.  590;  other  special  corps,  765; 
naval  brigade,  1,100,  with  38  guns;  colonial  forces,  2,400;  local 
forces,  13,200,  the  aggregate  being  106,210.  The  misapprehension 
arose  from  the  fact  that,  when  the  notice  of  the  intended  reinforce- 
ments was  posted  at  tlie  War  Office,  the  fifth  division  was  being 
landed  at  Cape  Colony,  the  sixth  was  on  the  way,  and  the  seventh 
was  in  process  of  mobilization.  It  would  be  more  correct,  there- 
fore, to  refer  to  the  increase  as  twenty-five  per  cent. 

A  gratifying  announcement  from  the  War  Office  was  that  in  a 
single  day  offers  of  service  had  come  from  100,000  of  the  yeomanry 
and  volunteers,  all  prepared  to  equip  themselves,  while  the  offers 
from  the  British  colonies  on  the  part  of  troops  wishing  to  be  sent 
to  the  front  were  so  overwhelming  that  immediate  attention  could 
not  be  given  to  them.  The  fountains  of  the  deep  were  stirred  to 
the  bottom,  and  the  exhibition  of  British  patriotism  w^as  thrilling 
and  magnificent. 

The  news  which  limped  to  England  was  to  the  effect  that 
General  BuUer  had  moved  his  army  back  five  miles  on  December  17 
and  had  taken  up  a  better  position,  sending  two  brigades  to  Frere 
to  i)rotect  his  lines  of  communication. 

A  dispatch  from  Modder  River,  on  December  22,  stated  that 
tlie  finely  constructed  trenches  of  the  Boers  under  Cronje  reached 
for  twelve  miles,  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  w^th  guns  mounted  at 
proper  intervals,  and  a  force  of  probably  20,000  men,  on  the  alert 
for  a  British  advance  in  any  direction.  Methuen's  army  was  inferior 
in  numbers,  and  firmly  held  its  own  at  a  point  midway  in  the 
circle  formed  by  the  trenches  and  a  bend  in  the  river. 

On    the    day    succeeding  this   dispatch,    Field-Marshal   Roberts, 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  561 

appointed  to  take  command  of  all  the  British  forces  in  South 
Africa,  left  London  for  Southampton.  His  immense  popnlarity  was 
shown  by  the  great  crowd  which  gathered  to  witness  his  departure, 
and  he  was  cheered  to  the  echo.  He  sailed  on  the  DKnoffar  ('asf/c 
that  evening.  The  grim  old  hero,  ready  always  to  answer  the  call 
of  his  country,  carried  a  sore  heart  with  him.  foi-  almost  on  the 
eve  of  setting  out  for  the  field,  thousands  of  miles  distant,  news 
reached  him  of  the  death  of  his  only  son,  killed  in  battle.  The 
hearts  of  the  father,  mother  and  daughter  were  wrapped  nj)  in  this 
brilliant  youth,  who,  seeking  glory  at  the  cannon's  month,  met  the 
fate  that  has  cut  off  unnumbered  heroes  in  the  flnsli  and  prime 
of  life. 

Although  we  have  already  given  the  main  points  in  the  career 
of  Lord  Roberts,  who  thus  became  the  central  figure  in  the  war  in 
the  Transvaal,  anything  concerning  him  is  of  interest,  and  we  add 
some  particulars  contributed  by  those  who  knew  him  well  and 
were  associated  with  some  of  his  most  remarkable  acliievements. 
Like  the  Iron  Duke  of  Wellington,  he  is  an  Irishman,  familiarly 
known  to  his  men  as  "Bobs,"  and  idolized  by  all.  He  began  his 
military  career  as  a  lieutenant  with  a  mountain  battery  of  native 
artillerymen  at  Peshawar,  and  for  eight  years  built  up  a  reputation 
as  one  of  the  most  daring  and  promising  young  officers  in  the 
service.  Ten  years  later  he  was  attached  to  the  staff  of  the 
quartermaster-general's  department,  where  he  Icunicd  thorougiily 
the  indispensable  lesson  of  the  movements  of  tro(»|is  and  of  tln^r 
equipment.  A  few  years  afterward  he  returned  to  the  artillery 
and  then  became  quai-term  aster-gen  era  I  of  the  Indian  army.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  he  had  the  best  possible  training  for  the  peculiar 
and  exacting  duties  to  which   he  was  called   in  South   Africa. 


662  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

It  was  in  1S78  that  Roberts  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Punjaub  frontier  forces,  and  finally  in  charge  of  the  entire  army 
in  Eastern  Afghanistan.  By  that  time  he  had  become  the  idol  of 
the  army,  and  at  their  gatherings  the  principal  conversations  were 
regarding  the  wonderful  ability,  the  lofty  courage  and  the  lovable 
traits  of  "dear  little  Bobs,"  who  had  endeared  himself  to  every 
oflBcer  and  soldier  under  his  command.  He  had  the  magnetic 
faculty  of  inspiring  all  with  an  unbounded  faith  in  his  skill,  and, 
as  an  oflBcer  expressed  it,  "he  never  failed  to  show  that  such  con- 
fidence was  justified."  Soldiers  fought  for  him  as  they  would  for 
no  other  leader.  They  had  come  to  believe  that  he  never  made  a 
mistake,  and,  therefore,  whatever  he  called  upon  them  to  do  was 
the  very  best  and  only  thing  to  do.  It  need  not  be  added  that 
such  a  commander  gets  everything  out  of  his  troops  that  is  in  them. 

Every  heart  ached  for  the  grand  old  hero,  when,  standing  in 
the  room  of  his  club  as  several  of  the  members  were  listening  to 
the  war  news  as  it  was  ticked  off  the  wire,  he  overheard  one  of 
them,  unaware  of  his  presence,  exclaim  that  the  son  of  "Bobs"  had 
been  killed.  Without  a  word,  he  walked  out  of  the  building  and 
then  passed  to  his  home.  Who  can  picture  the  scene  there  when 
the  stricken  father  broke  the  awful  news  to  his  wife  and  daughter, 
and  all  bowed  their  heads  with  a  grief  which  none  can  fully  under- 
stand who  has  not  shared  in  something  of  the  same  nature?  But 
like  the  true  hero,  he  did  not  carry  his  sorrow  to  the  world.  When 
he  appeared  before  the  public  he  was  the  same  well-poised  and 
self-possessed  man  as  when  directing  military  movements  on  the 
far  away  Indian  frontier,  or  hurrying  to  the  relief  of  a  beleaguered 
oflBcer  and  his  command,  whose  salvation  depended  under  heaven 
upon  that  powerful  arm. 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  563 

One  impressive  incident  in  his  career  is  not  generally  known. 
It  was  on  his  suggestion  that  Lord  Beaconsfield  sent  the  superb 
Indian  troops  to  Malta  as  a  warning  that,  if  (Jreat  Britian  had  to 
fight  the  Russian  Bear  single-handed,  she  would  do  it  with  all  the 
forces  of  her  mighty  empire.  No  more  convincing  object  lesson  can 
be  conceived,  and  it  produced  a  tremendous  effect. 

Lord  Roberts  is  one  of  the  few  leaders  of  whom  the  remark  is 
true  that  he  never  knows  when  he  is  beaten.  In  the  Kuran  Valley, 
the  officers  declared  he  was  defeated  beyond  all  possibility  of  doubt. 
He  quietly  smiled  and  refused  to  take  that  view  of  it.  He  was 
ready  for  the  fray  next  morning,  and  lo!  a  great  victory  was  won. 

One  peculiarity,  seemingly  unimportant  of  itself,  doubtless  has 
added  to  his  popularity  —  he  never  forgets  a  face.  No  matter  if 
the  interview  lasts  only  a  few  minutes  and  Roberts  docs  not  see 
the  man  for  years  and  then  meets  him  on  the  other  side  of  the 
world,  he  is  sure  to  recognize  him  on  the  instant.  This  was  shown 
in  the  case  of  a  young  lieutenant,  who  was  introduced  to  him  at 
a  mess  dinner.  The  next  time  they  met  was  on  a  narrow  mountain 
road  between  Peshawar  and  Jelalabad.  The  officer  saluted,  where- 
upon Roberts  extended  his  hand  with  the  hearty  inquiry,  as  he 
called  the  lieutenant  by  name: 

"Well,  old  fellow,  how  are  yon?'' 

The  recognition  was  so  unexpected  and  delightful  that  the 
lieutenant  felt  willing  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his  leatier,  and  the 
feeling  of  devotion  is  with  all  his  men  to  this  duy.  On  tho  march 
from  Cabnl  to  Kandahar,  he  would  never  sit  down  to  his  mess 
dinner  until  he  had  seen  the  soldiers  properly  fed.  Many  times 
this  thoughtfulness  delayed  the  mess  bugle  for  half  an  hour.  At 
the  Queen's  Jubilee,  when    Lord    Roberts  was   in   tlie   procession  to 


564  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

St.  Paul's,  he  received  iin  ovation  from  the  populace  hardly  second 
to  that  of  the  beloved  Queen  herself.  But  enough  has  been  told 
to  show  why  this  remarkable  leader  is  held  in  such  high  esteem 
and  affection  by  all  England,  and  to  explain  why,  when  he  was 
summoned  to  the  supreme  command  in  South  Africa,  the  nation 
felt  tiiat  the  right  man  had  been  sent  thither,  one  who  could  never 
forget  the  lessons  of  experience  and  who  would  guide  the  move- 
ments of  the  forces  with  a  wisdom  and  skill  that  could  not  fail  to 
bring  decisive  results. 

A  dispatch  to  the  Transvaal  government  stated  that  the  British 
garrison  at  Mafeking  made  a  sortie  on  Christmas  day  and  attacked 
one  of  the  Boer  forts  with  cannon,  Maxims  and  an  armored  train. 
It  was  said  that  the  fighting  was  pressed  to  the  walls  of  the  fort 
and  the  British  loss  was  heavy,  two  captains  being  killed,  Lord 
Edward  Cecil  and  Lord  Charles  Cavendish  wounded,  with  perhaps 
a  hundred  more  of  Colonel  Baden-Powell's  force  sacrificed  in  the 
futile  attempt. 

Another  interesting  statement  confirms,  what  has  already  been 
said,  that  much  of  the  success  of  the  Boers  has  been  due  to  the 
aid  of  foreign  officers,  who  had  given  their  best  services  to  their 
cause.  Apparently  the  authority  was  the  Afrikander  Bund,  which 
asserted  that  8,000  European  officers  and  men,  skilled  in  military 
tactics  and  experts  in  artillery,  were  at  Pretoria  as  a  reserve  force. 
An  Austrian  officer  was  generally  credited  with  the  skill  displayed 
by  the  allies  at  Modder  River,  and  it  was  believed  that  the  Tugela 
defenses  near  Colenso  were  planned  by  an  ex-colonel  of  the  French 
army.  It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  latter  place  the  hills  had 
been  converted  into  fortresses  of  vast  strength,  with  bomb-proof 
trenches  and   covered   passages  connecting  the  main   positions  and 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  565 

with  tramway  lines  with  which  to  shift  the  guns  to  different  posi- 
tions. 

As  pointing  to  the  accuracy  of  these  reports,  it  may  be  added 
that  at  a  meeting  of  Boer  sympathizers,  held  in  Cincinnati  Decem- 
ber 29,  a  relative  of  President  Kruger  made  the  statement  that 
there  were  4,000  well-drilled  Americans  in  Pretoria,  that  2,000 
more  were  on  the  way  and  funds  were  being  sent  from  all  parts 
of  the  United  States.  This  speaker  said  further  that  50,000  men 
might  be  needed,  but  he  was  confident  that  they  would  be  on  the 
ground  in  time,  despite  the  British  blockade. 

Immediately  following  this  was  news  that  caused  a  disquieting 
effect  in  some  quarters.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  the  steamer 
Bundesrath,  belonging  to  the  German  East-African  line,  hud  ])een 
captured  by  the  British  cruiser  Mayicienne  and  taken  to  Durban  as 
a  prize.  This  vessel  had  sailed  from  Hamburg  on  November  S  for 
East  Africa  and  her  capture  naturally  intensified  the  anti-British 
feeling  of  the  Hollander  and  German  population  on  Delagoa  Bay, 
while  England  was  delighted  with  the  evidence  that  her  navy  was 
alert  to  check  the  inflow  of  foreign  adventurers  to  the  assistance 
of  the  Boers  in  South  Africa. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  genuine  British  success  at 
Colesberg,  which,  coming  as  it  did  amid  general  gloom  and  depression, 
sent  a  glow  of  delight  throughout  p]ngland.  News  was  received  on 
the  first  day  of  the  new  year  that  General  French,  in  whose 
column  was  a  large  numlier  of  mounted  men.  had  snccooded  in 
flanking  the  enemy  at  Colesberg,  wiiich  is  a  town  (^n  th«^  railway 
running  northeast  througli  Bl()(Mnfoiit<Mn  to  Pretoria.  Two  days 
previous  he  had  come  in  touch  with  an  intrenched  force  at  Rends- 
berg.     Mindful  of   the    previous  co.stly  e.xperiences.  General  French 


566  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

did  not  deliver  a  frontal  attack,  but  left  at  that  point  to  hold  the 
enemy,  half  of  the  First  Suffolks  and  a  section  of  the  Royal  Horse 
Artillery,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  last  day  of  the  year  started 
on  a  circuitous  course,  his  force  consisting  of  cavalry,  mounted 
infantry,  infantry  carried  in  wagons  and  ten  guns.  Before  it  was 
light  on  the  following  morning,  he  occupied  the  kopje  overlooking 
Colesberg  from  the  west. 

This  movement  was  a  complete  surprise  to  the  Boers,  which 
was  natural  enough,  since  its  nature  was  altogether  new  to  them. 
As  it  was  growing  light,  the  laager  was  shelled  and  the  right  of 
the  enemy's  position  enfiladed,  their  guns  being  silenced  while 
delivering  a  hot  fire  from  a  15-pounder,  captured  from  General 
Gatacre  at  Stormberg.  Thus,  when  General  French  adopted  the 
tactics  of  the  Boers,  he  gained  an  unquestionable  advantage. 

Still  another  confirmation  of  the  wisdom  of  this  policy  was 
afforded  on  the  same  day,  when  Colonel  Pilcher  decisively  defeated 
a  command  at  Sunnyside  laager,  west  of  Belmont.  His  mounted 
force  included  100  Canadians  of  the  Toronto  company,  200  Austral- 
ians and  the  same  number  of  Cornwall  Light  Infantry  and  several 
field  guns.  By  acting  quickly,  a  surprise  was  effected  and  the 
position  captured  with  forty  prisoners.  This  having  been  effected. 
Colonel  Pilcher  pressed  on  to  Douglas,  where  he  was  in  communi- 
cation with  Lord  Methuen's  mounted  troops. 

The  Canadians  were  delighted  when  they  received  the  order, 
"Double  into  action!"  many  of  them  exclaiming  exultingly,  "At 
last!"  as  they  dashed  into  the  fight.  They  pressed  forward  until 
within  a  thousand  yards  of  the  enemy,  who  had  run  from  their 
laager  up  a  hillside,  and,  opening  a  withering  fire,  they  effectually 
silenced  that  of  the   Boers.     At    the    same    time,    the   Queensland 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  567 

troops  with  Colonel  Fletcher  were  pushing  rapidly  in  another  direc- 
tion. Their  behavior  fully  justified  the  high  expectations  regarding 
them.  All  were  in  tine  spirits  and  skillfully  secured  cover  when 
the  enemy  was  discovered,  every  man  displaying  coolness  and  self- 
confidence. 

To  show  how  complete  the  surprise  was,  the  guns  were  within 
a  fourth  of  a  mile  of  the  laager  and  had  planted  two  shells  before  the 
Boers  knew  the  British  were  upon  them.  While  the  affair  of  itself 
was  insignificant,  it  was  gratifying  proof  of  the  mettle  of  the 
Canadians  and  Australians,  and  had  good  effect  in  checking  a 
threatened  rising  among  the  Dutch  colonists. 

A  singular  incident  occurred  at  Rendsberg,  Cape  Colony,  on 
January  2.  A  train  loaded  with  supplies,  but  without  an  engine 
attached,  began  moving  down  an  incline  toward  the  Boer  lines. 
The  speed  momentarily  increased,  and  it  soon  passed  beyond  control." 
In  a  few  minutes  it  would  have  been  among  the  Boers,  where,  of 
course,  the  valuable  supplies  would  have  been  welcome.  Orders 
were  hurriedly  given  to  the  British  gunners  to  destroy  the  train, 
and  their  aim  was  so  good  that  cars  and  their  contents  were  sent 
flying  in  all  directions  and  the  train  reduced  to  a  wreck. 

The  members  of  the  Masonic  order  will  appreciate  the  follow- 
ing occurrence,  the  like  of  which  has  never  occurred  in  the  history 
of  the  order:  At  a  Masonic  meeting  in  Durban,  the  startling  dis- 
covery was  made  that  the  Master  and  all  the  officers  of  the  lodge 
had  been  killed  in  battle.  Consequently  the  charter  and  regalia 
could  not  be  kept,  since  there  was  no  one  who  could  be  held 
responsible  by  the  craft. 

The  Foreign  Office  at  Berlin  sent  a  note  to  Great  Britain  pro- 
testing against   the   seizure    of    the    German    steamer    Buuiiesrath, 


5G8  THE  iSTORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

which  it  will  be  remembered  was  arrested  by  a  British  crusier  off 
the  east  coast  of  Africa  on  suspicion  of  carrying  contraband  of  war. 
The  note,  of  course,  gave  the  German  view  of  the  case,  which 
as.^erted  that  the  action  infringed  maritime  law,  inasmuch  as  the 
seizure  of  contraband  is  only  allowable  if  the  vessel  carrying  it  is 
on  her  way  to  a  belligerent  country,  while  the  Bundesrath  was 
bound  to  a  ileutral  port.  Both  nations  showed  a  disposition  to 
investigate  fairly  and  to  act  in  accordance  with  what  facts  such 
investigation  should  bring  to  light. 

In  the  meantime,  the  alertness  of  the  British  blockaders 
resulted  in  the  seizure  of  American  flour  at  Delagoa  Bay  and  the 
overhauling  and  detaining  of  three  American  vessels,  all  carrying 
mixed  cargoes  of  American  goods.  Two  of  these  ships  had  British 
registers  and  the  other  flew  the  Dutch  flag.  They  sailed  from  New 
York  for  Delagoa  Bay,  a  neutral  port,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
United  States  regarded  their  seizure  as  an  unjustifiable  act.  The 
theory  of  the  seizure  was  that  the  cargoes  were  to  be  shipped  over- 
land from  Delagoa  Bay  to  the  Transvaal  for  the  use  of  the  Boer 
forces  in  the  field.  Inasmuch  as  none  of  the  ships  had  an  Amer- 
ican register,  the  United  States  had  no  concern  with  the  arrest  of 
the  vessels,  since  no  question  of  indignity  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
was  involved. 

Secretary  Hay  sent  instructions  to  Ambassador  Choate  in  Lon- 
don on  January  2,  to  inform  the  British  government  that  the 
United  States  considered  the  seizure  of  American  flour  at  Delagoa 
Bay  as  illegal,  and  that,  in  asking  indemnity  for  such  seizure,  the 
American  government  regarded  its  position  as  sustained  by  the  law 
and  the  facts. 

Ambassador  Choate  held  a  long  conference  on   January  4  with 


ATTER  THE  BATTLE-ANXIOUS  INQUIRERS  AT  THE  WAR  OFFICE. 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  571 

Lord  Salisbury,  and  presented  Secretary  Hay's  note  with  reference 
to  the  seizure  by  British  warships  of  flour  and  other  commodities 
shipped  by  American  firms  and  consigned  to  merchants  at  Lorenzo 
Marquez.  The  reply  of  Lord  Salisbury  was  satisfactory,  being  to 
the  effect  that  the  American  flour  which  was  seized  on  board  the 
neutral  Dutch  vessel,  the  Maria,  had  been  released  and  the  British 
government  promised  not  to  treat  breadstuff s  as  contraband  of  war, 
unless  destined  for  consumption  by  an  enemy's  armed  force.  Indem- 
nity, of  course,  was  to  be  granted  where  injury  had  been  done. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  South  African  war,  Charles  E.  Macrum 
was  the  United  States  consul  at  Pretoria.  In  return  for  similar 
favors  done  by  Great  Britain  for  us  during  our  war  with  Spain, 
the  consul  Nvas  instructed  by  the  State  department,  on  the  request 
of  the  British  government,  to  apply  to  the  Boer  authorities  for 
recognition  as  the  representative  of  British  interests  in  the  Trans- 
vaal while  hostilities  continued.  The  Transvaal  would  have  been 
justified  in  refusing  this  request  had  not  the  United  States  been  a 
neutral  nation;  but,  in  accordance  with  custom,  Mr.  Macrum  was 
courteously  received  and  recognized  as  the  British  representative 
ad  interim. 

No  matter  what  may  have  been  said  or  done  by  Americans  in 
their  private  capacity,  the  United  States  observed  its  neuti-ality 
with  scrupulous  exactness,  and  our  government  was  pleased  to 
recognize  in  this  manner  the  favor  done  us,  as  has  been  stated, 
during  the  Spanish-American  war.  When,  however,  British  prisoners 
began  arriving  at  Pretoria,  Mr.  Macrum  applied,  under  instructions 
from  the  State  department,  which  received  a  request  from  the 
British  government  on  the  subject,  for  lists  of  the  British  prisoners 
and   a  weekly   statement  showing  tlie    condition   of  the   sick   and 

81 


572  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

wounded  among  them.  Our  consul,  about  this  time,  was  informed 
by  the  Transvaal  government  that  the  care  of  the  British  prisoners 
was  purely  a  military  matter,  in  charge  of  the  Boer  commanders 
in  the  field,  and  that  his  consular  jurisdiction  did  not  extend  to 
communication  with  them. 

Representations  were  made  by  the  United  States  to  the  Trans- 
vaal authorities,  which  in  reality  was  a  protest  against  their  refusal 
to  permit  Mr.  Macrum  to  continue  his  kindly  offices.  These  pro- 
tests received  no  notice  until  Mr.  Macrum,  having  requested  and 
obtained  his  relief,  was  on  the  eve  of  departure,  was  officially  notified 
that  the  lists  for  which  he  asked  would  be  furnished,  but  instead 
of  being  given  to  him  would  be  sent  to  the  British  minister  of  war 
whenever  he  chose  to  apply  for  them.  This  looked  very  much  like 
a  shrewd  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  South  African  Republic  to 
secure  recognition  by  the  British  government  as  an  independent 
state,  but  the  effort  did  not  succeed. 

Mr.  Macrum  asked  permission  in  behalf  of  Great  Britian  to 
distribute  money  among  the  British  prisoners  with  which  to  pur- 
chase tobacco  and  such  things  as  are  considered  delicacies,  but 
permission  w^as  refused.  His  request  to  be  relieved  was  granted, 
and  Mr.  Hollis,  United  States  consul  at  Lorenzo  Marquez,  Portu- 
guese Africa,  was  ordered  to  Pretoria  to  serve  as  the  American 
representative  until  Adelbert  S.  Hay,  the  new  consul,  should  arrive, 
Mr.  Hay  having  sailed  from  England  for  South  Africa  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year. 

The  United  States  was  inclined  at  first  to  resent  the  refusal  of 
the  Boer  government  to  permit  Mr.  Macrum  to  carry  out  the  func- 
tions usually  relating  to  a  representative  of  the  interests  of  a 
belligerent,    but    reflection    led   to  the   charitable    belief  that   the 


THE  PENDULUM  OF  BATTLE  573 

refusal  was  due  to  the  unfamiliarity  of  the  Boers  with  the  courtesies 
which  obtain  between  friendly  nations.  This  spirit  of  tolerance 
was  shown  by  the  United  States  all  through  the  negotiations. 

It  looked  as  if  it  was  misinterpreted  when  the  Transvaal  gov- 
ernment notified  the  United  States  on  the  8th  of  January  that  it 
could  not  permit  Mr.  Mollis,  the  American  consul  at  Pretoria,  to 
represent  the  interests  of  Great  Britain  in  tlie  Soutli  African 
Republic  during  the  war  in  the  full  sense  of  such  representation, 
though  the  consul  would  be  allowed  in  his  personal  capacity  to 
care  for  the  British  prisoners  of  war  in  confinement  at  Pretoria. 
The  reason  given  for  this  remarkable  course  was  that  the  Boer 
Government  did  not  wish  any  British  representative  within  its  ter- 
ritory. The  action  was  unprecedented  and  would  have  brought 
about  the  withdrawal  of  our  representative  but  for  the  wish  to 
continue  the  humanitarian  work  among  the  prisoners.  Such  of 
the  latter,  however,  who  were  exchanged  brought  witii  them  the 
gratifying  statement  that  they  were  treated  with  kindness  by  the 
Boers,  who  granted  many  favors  that  were  wholly  unexpected.  So, 
after  all,  though  the  course  of  the  Boer  Government  was  discour- 
teous, it  might  be  too  much  to  say  that  any  real  suffering  to  the 
prisoners  resulted  therefrom. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

STORIES     FROM     THE    BATTLEFIELD. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  one  point  to  which  a  government 
can  never  educate  the  public — that  is  the  necessity  or  prudence  of 
concealing  the  truth  from  it.  Nothing  is  more  apparent  than  that 
generals  in  the  field  are  often  obliged  to  prevent  news  of  their 
movements  from  being  sent  out  by  the  newspaper  correspondents, 
for  there  is  always  danger  that  such  premature  publication  will 
affect  the  success  of  the  movements  themselves.  Numberless  illus- 
trations will  occur  almost  to  everyone.  When  General  Sherman 
was  making  his  important  advance  through  the  southwest  toward 
the  close  of  the  civil  w^ar,  Jefferson  Davis,  in  order  to  cheer  the 
drooping  hopes  of  his  people,  announced  in  a  public  speech  what 
his  generals  were  preparing  to  do  to  bring  the  plans  of  the  Union 
leader  to  naught.  The  southern  papers  published  his  speech,  they 
quickly  found  their  way  through  the  lines,  and  Sherman  gleefully 
set  to  work  to  defeat  the  project  of  his  enemy,  and  succeeded. 

When  General  Miles  went  to  Puerto  Rico  he  seemed  apparently 
to  change  his  mind  regarding  his  intended  landing  place,  and  selected 
a  point  which  was  in  the  mind  of  nobody  else.  There  was  no  change 
of  mind  on  hia  part;  he  was  carrying  out  an  intention  formed  long 
before,  and  which  was  the  only  means  of  keeping  his  plans  from  the 
knowledge  of  the  enemy. 

But,  admitting  all  this,  the  question  arises  as  to  what  possible 
good  is  accomplished  by  suppressing  the  facts  respecting  any  important 
action  after  it  has  succeeded  or  failed.     The  truth  is  certain  to  come 

(676) 


57G  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

out  sooner  or  later,  and  the  indignation  against  those  who  have 
trifled  with  us  is  intensified.  Such,  however,  seems  to  be  the  policy 
of  all  governments.  The  first  announcement  generally  is  of  a  great 
victory,  with  the  promise  that  particulars  will  be  sent  later.  Then 
come  mistifying  accounts  of  strategic  movements,  of  having  attained 
the  point  desired,  and  the  return  of  our  army  to  its  former  position, 
of  severe  losses,  owing  to  the  unsurpassable  heroism  of  our  attack, 
and  of  the  far  greater  and  more  tremendous  losses  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy.  By  and  by  the  real  truth  begins  to  glimmer;  we  have 
suffered  a  disastrous  defeat;  our  losses  have  been  much  greater  than 
the  enemy's,  and  possibly  our  whole  army  is  in  danger  of  being 
destroyed. 

Now  this  thing  has  been  repeated  over  and  over  again  in  South 
Africa,  and  will,  no  doubt,  continue  to  be  the  policy  of  the  future. 
There  is  not  a  word  that  can  be  said  in  its  favor,  but  everything 
against  it.  It  is  a  woeful  blunder  thus  to  seek  to  mislead  the 
public. 

The  hot  soil  of  South  Africa  has  steamed  with  the  blood  of 
some  of  the  best  and  bravest  men  that  ever  went  forth  to  battle 
for  the  honor  of  their  country.  Mistakes  have  been  made  by  their 
leaders,  as  must  be  the  case  in  every  war;  condemnation  of  those 
who  made  them  has  not  always  been  just  and  no  slur  can  be  cast 
upon  the  courage  of  officers  and  men,  but  we  repeat,  what  has  been 
said  in  another  place,  that  the  British  forces  were  called  upon  to 
face  wholly  new  conditions  in  the  Transvaal.  The  Boers  are  not 
only  skillful  marksmen,  but  they  have  able  commanders  and  do 
not  fight  in  the  open.  Away  back  in  1755,  General  Braddock 
undertook  to  battle  with  red  Indians  and  French  who  were  in 
ambush,  and,  heedless  of  the  urging  of  young  George  Washington 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  577 

to  adopt  the  same  tactics,  he  persisted  in  tiring  by  platoons  at  a 
foe  hidden  behind  trees  and  rocks,  with  the  awful  result  that  every- 
one, knows.  True,  the  Boers  are  insignificant  in  number  as  com- 
pared with  the  armies  that  Great  Britain  can  put  into  the  field, 
but  they  were  on  their  own  ground;  they  had  more  men  at  the 
opening  of  the  war;  they  were  pro\ided  with  the  best  arms  and 
equipments;  they  were  familiar  with  every  road  of  the  country, 
and  were  fanatically  devoted  to  tlieir  cause. 

Some  other  facts  should  be  borne  in  mind,  the  most  significant 
of  which  perhaps  is  that  hundreds  of  soldiers  of  fortune,  including 
many  others  who  sympathized  with  the  Boers,  have  joined  their 
ranks.  These  recruits  are  some  of  the  most  highly  educated  officers 
to  be  found  anywhere,  and  they  helped  far  more  than  is  generally 
supposed  in  winning  the  early  successes  for  the  burghers. 

Shrewd  old  President  Kruger  and  the  far-seeing  Joubert  per- 
ceived long  ago  what  was  coming,  and  trimmed  their  sails  to  meet 
the  storm.  In  another  place  has  been  shown  the  admirable  and 
simple  system  by  w^hich  the  whole  military  force  of  the  country  was 
always  held  in  hand.  Well  aware  that  one  of  the  first  oi)jective 
points  of  an  invading  force  would  be  the  capital.  Pretoria  was 
magnificently  fortified  long  before  an  enemy  could  penetrate  far 
enough  to  gain  a  glimpse  of  it. 

According  to  report,  the  defenses  consist  of  five  jjowcrful  foils 
and  five  lines  of  mines,  and  immense  entrenciiments  with  redoubts, 
with  the  mines  so  laid  as  to  cover  all  the  approaches  to  the  leading 
points  of  defense.  The  center  of  the  system  of  forts  lies  about  a 
fourth  of  a  mile  to  the  westward  of  the  northern  end  of  Pretoria,  and 
has  a  radius  of  more  than  foui-  miles.  The  center  of  tiic  city  itself  is 
about  half  a  mile  due  south  from  the  fort  on  Signal   Hill,  which  is 


578  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

some  400  feet  above  the  plain  on  the  west  side  of  the  railway  to 
Johannesburg  and  not  quite  a  mile  from  the  fort  on  the  hill  to  the 
east  of  the  railway  and  the  Aupies  River,  whose  course  is  to  the  north. 
Pretoria  obtains  its  water  supply  from  the  fountains  between  this  fort 
and  the  river.  The  forts  on  either  side  of  the  river  are  separated  by 
about  half  a  mile,  and  immediately  outside  of  the  city  on  the  southern 
side  is  the  railway  station  where  the  lines  from  Johannesburg  on  the 
south,  Delagoa  Bay  on  the  east  and  Pietersburg  on  the  north  form  a 
junction. 

The  westernmost  fort  is  on  the  hills  behind  Pretoria,  not  quite 
six  miles  north  of  the  center  of  the  city.  The  formidable  redoubt 
to  the  southwest  of  Pretoria,  more  than  two  miles  from  the  center 
of  the  city,  on  the  range  of  hills  through  which  the  road  to  Johan- 
nesburg passes,  makes  up  the  circle  of  the  larger  works  that  defend 
the  Boer  capital.  To  the  rear  of  this  redoubt  are  the  principal 
magazines,  one  of  which  has  been  excavated  out  of  the  solid  rock, 
with  a  bomb-proof  roof,  and  the  other,  also  bomb  proof,  built  into 
the  kloop,  communicates  with  the  redoubt  through  a  covered  way. 
All  these  forts  are  connected  with  the  capital,  and  they  not  only 
have  pipes  laid  with  water,  but  electric  cables  for  the  search  lights. 

The  number  of  guns  mounted  on  the  forts  and  redoubts 
is  given  at  120  of  large  caliber  and  quick-firing  of  all  kinds. 
Among  these  are  several  15-centimetre  guns  of  French  make  from 
the  Creusot  works,  and  of  long  range.  Besides,  there  are  Krupps, 
Maxims  and  other  machine  and  quick  firing  guns.  Toward  the 
open  country  the  forts  are  of  masonry,  heavily  faced  with  earth, 
but  are  open  to  the  rear  toward  Pretoria. 

The  shipment  of  a  siege  train  from  England  to  South  Africa 
showed  that  she  expected  before  the  close  of  the  war  to  invest  the 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  579 

Boer  capital.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  is  the  first  siege 
train  sent  out  by  Great  Britain  for  forty-six  years,  the  last  previous 
occasion  being  when  sixty-five  heavy  guns  and  mortars  were  shipped 
from  Woolwich  for  the  siege  of  Sebastopol,  w^here  they  took  part 
with  the  French  siege  train  in  the  bombardment  of  that  city. 
The  skillful  Todlebeu,  however,  developed  the  Russian  defense  so 
rapidly  that  the  number  of  guns  in  position  in  the  besieging  bat- 
teries was  raised  to  806  before  Sebastopol  fell. 

The  train  sent  from  England  for  South  Africa  comprised  thirty 
howitzers,  fourteen  of  8-inch  caliber,  eight  of  5-inch  and  eight  of 
4-inch.  If  they  throw  lyddite  shells  the  train  will  prove  a  formid- 
able one  and  will  probably  require  40,000  troops  to  invest  the  city, 
leaving  the  remainder  to  guard  the  communications,  occupy  certain 
points  and  operate  against  that  part  of  the  Boer  army  not  needed 
for  the  defense  of  Pretoria. 

Now,  it  is  an  ungi'acious  thing  to  censure  the  actions  of  those 
who  are  in  the  field,  and  who  must  of  necessity  know  far  more  of 
the  difficulties  encountered  than  those  at  home;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  criticisms  which  we  quote 
are  not  w^holly  from  laymen  and  civilians,  but  from  some  of  the 
ablest  of  military  leaders.  Nothing  is  gained  by  glossing  over  the 
faults  of  the  campaign,  and,  on  the  principle  that  it  is  the  best  to 
know  the  truth  at  all  times,  we  submit  a  number  of  such  expre.s- 
sions,  asking  the  reader  to  remember  that  tiiey  are  not  oui-s,  l)ut 
those  of  English  authorities,  whose  dearest  prayer  is  that,  throu^'ii 
such  criticisms,  similar  blunders  may  be  avoided  in  the  future  and 
the  triumph  of  the  British  arms  secured.  As  far  back  as  Noveml)er 
12,  according  to  the  correspondent  of  the  standard,  the  Boer  circle  of 
nearly  twenty-four  miles  around  Ladysmith  was  held  by  twenty-two 


580  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

guns,  which  were  protected  by  thick  parapets.  The  English 
line  of  half  that  extent  was  held  by  the  British  artillery,  consist- 
ing of  thirty-six  guns,  which  were  wholly  ineffective  against  the 
long-range  guns  of  the  enemy.     The  correspondent  says: 

"Only  five  of  our  guns  can  reach  the  enemy's  guns  of  position. 
These  are  the  naval  pieces,  whose  ranges  vary  from  10,000  to  12,000 
yards.  Had  the  Boers  cut  our  railroad  communication  before  the 
battle  of  Lombard's  Kop,  they  would  have  had  us  at  their  mercy,  for 
we  should  have  been  without  long-range  guns.  Our  field  artillery 
would  have  been  powerless.  This  is  one  of  the  lessons  of  the  cam- 
paign. Wo  must  rearm  our  artillery.  Quick-firing  guns,  long  ranges 
and  smokeless  powder  have  revolutionized  the  conditions  of  warfare. 
Guns  of  longer  range  and  longer-time  fuses  we  must  have.  The 
present  governing  factor  of  safety  must  be  seriously  considered  and 
reduced.  Our  equipment  must  be  lightened.  These  are  essential 
changes.  If  they  can  be  made  without  sacrifice  of  mobility  and  shell 
power,  so  much  the  better;  but  made  they  must  be,  unless  we  are  to 
run  terrible  risks  in  the  first  encounter  with  an  active  and  enterpris- 
ing enemy.  Except  in  reconnaissances,  our  field  guns  are  useless  as 
long  as  the  siege  lasts.  The  fault  lies  not  with  officers  or  men.  But 
they  have  to  face  fearful  odds.  The  Boer  shrapnel  is  fused  for  5,200 
yards,  whereas  our  fuse  ceases  to  be  effective  at  4,100  yards.  At  5,000 
yards,  the  length  of  the  probable  rectangle  of  our  guns  is  106  yards. 
At  4,000  yards  it  is  only  46,  so  that  within  this  critical  last  thousand 
yards  the  accuracy  of  the  guns  is  so  reduced  that  the  length  of  the 
probable  rectangle  is  increased  225  per  cent.  The  meaning  of  this 
will  be  clear  when  I  say  that  for  1,100  yards — or  nearly  three-quarters 
of  a  mile— our  artillery  are  exposed  to  the  fire  of  a  practically 
invisible  enemy,  without  being  able  to  fire  a  really  effective  shot  in 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  581 

self-defense.  In  other  words,  our  guns  would  never  get  witliin 
effective  range  of  a  French  or  German  field  battery.  We  must  have 
a  gun  that  will  shoot  with  much  greater  accuracy  at  5,000  yards,  and 
a  fuse  that  is  effective  at  5,000  or  6,000  yards.  Whether  this  involves 
loss  of  shell  power,  or  increased  weight  and  consequent  loss  of 
mobility,  is  a  question  on  which  experts  may  differ.  This  much, 
however,  is  certain.  Our  equipment  is  unduly  heavy.  Our  guns 
carry  too  much  weight.  The  double  teams  that  brought  the  Twenty- 
first  Battery  to  Elands  Laagte — a  distance  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles 
— had  not  an  ounce  left  in  them. 

"The  Boer  guns  are  admirably  served  —  doubtless  by  French 
and  German  gunners,  assisted  by  the  Staats  artillery.  Though  they 
have  done  little  damage,  the  shooting  is,  on  the  whole,  very 
accurate.  They  have  the  latest  telescopic  sights,  as  well  as  some 
cross-bearing  signaling  system  which  helps  to  eliminUte  erroi*s  of 
range.  Their  errors  of  direction  are  practically  nil.  Our  compara- 
tive freedom  from  serious  casualities  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
enemy's  shells  are  not  always  properly  fused,  that  long  ranges 
diminish  their  penetrating  power,  and  that  the  material  of  some  of 
their  explosives  is  bad.  The  projectiles  are,  for  the  most  part, 
segment  or  ring  shells,  with  the  regular  German  percu.s.sion  fuse, 
and  the  shrapnel  contains  300  bullets  of  steel  or  lead.  The  eiTors 
in  fusing  may,  in  many  cases,  be  accounted  for  by  the  readiness 
with  which  the  Boers  fire  at  chance  ranges,  our  practice  being 
never  to  fire  a  shot  except  at  ranges  that  are  sure  to  be  effective. 
Of  the  inferior  quality  of  some  of  the  shells  there  is  abundant 
testimony.  One  morning,  while  in  the  caini"  of  tin'  Irish  Fusiliers, 
I  saw  six  shells  fall  without  bursting,  whil.^  one,  after  burying 
itself  five  feet  in  the  hard  ground,  l.l(>\v  l)a('k  \u\\v\\  a  hundred  yards." 


582  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

With  reference  to  the  poor  quality  of  the  Boers'  ammunition 
for  their  big  guns,  another  correspondent  shut  up  in  Ladysmith  has 
been  amusing  himself  by  making  a  calculation  as  to  the  number 
of  shells  sent  into  the  town  by  the  Boers  since  the  beginning  of 
the  siege  to  the  time  of  the  departure  of  his  dispatches  (Saturday, 
November  25).  "The  grand  total  is  given  as  2,680,  and  of  that 
number  1,070  went  into  the  town  itself,  860  were  directed  at  the 
naval  batteries,  and  the  remaining  numbers  reached  the  different 
camps.  Taking  the  larger  type  of  shells  thrown  by  the  Boers  and 
the  smaller,  and  giving  an  average  value  of  £l7.10s.  for  each  shell, 
it  is  seen  that  the  monetary  cost  of  the  bombardment  of  Ladysmith 
to  the  Boers  has  been  about  £50,000.  Eight  British  soldiers  have 
been  killed  by  shells,  or  one  man  for  every  335  shells.  It  has  thus 
cost  the  Boers  (according  to  the  statistics  quoted)  between  £6,000 
and  £7,000  to  kill  a  man  in  Ladysmith." 

The  correspondent  of  the  Telegraph  declared  that  one  of  the 
principal  weak  points  of  the  Natal  campaign  was  the  indecision 
and  lack  of  mobility  when  the  troops  took  the  field.  "Whether  at 
Dundee,  Ladysmith,  Estcourt  or  elsewhere  to  the  seaboard  and 
Durban,"  he  writes,  "there  has  been  a  worrying,  too  frequent 
change  of  plans,  by  no  means  all  of  which  were  rendered  necessary 
by  the  enemy's  movements  and  surprises.  Work  done  yesterday  or 
to-day  has  too  often  been  ordered  to  be  undone  in  the  course  of 
the  next  few  hours.  Men  have  been  marched  out  early  and  late, 
in  all  weathers,  to  give  battle,  and,  after  being  kept  upon  the 
ground,  marched  back  to  camp  without  being  allowed  to  fire  a 
shot.  As  with  the  infantry,  so  it  has  been  with  the  artillery.  In 
two  weeks  one  mounted  volunteer  force  has  had  its  camp  changed 
fifteen  times!    Nay,  there  are  instances  where  linesmen's  tents  have 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  583 

been  ordered  struck,  packed,  unpacked,  repitched,  struck,  and  so  on 
again,  twice,  yea,  thrice,  within  twenty-four  hours.  As  to  our 
acquired  immobility.  It  appears  that  each  infantry  battalion 
requires  nine  wagons,  capable  of  carrying  4,000  pounds  apiece. 
Nor  is  that  all  that  is  set  apart  for  the  transport  of  their  stores 
and  equipment.  There  are,  besides  these,  two  Scotch  carts,  one 
water  cart  and  two  ammunition  carts.  A  tolerably  long  train  these 
make,  and,  as  they  are  set  down  authoritatively  as  indispensable, 
our  armies  don't  move  until  they  get  them.  Except— except  when 
circumstances  alter  cases.  It  is  for  the  want  of  transport,  more 
than  all  else,  that  the  operations  of  commanders  are  said  to  have 
been  sadly  hampered,  plans  abandoned,  and  successes  in  battle 
minimized  or  lost." 

We  have  referred  in  another  place  to  the  fierceness  of  the  fight 
at  Modder  River,  which  General  Methuen  well  described  as  one  of 
the  most  trying  in  the  annals  of  the  British  army.  The  following 
account  makes  clear  why  the  commanding  officer  applied  such 
description  to  it : 

"The  battle  of  Modder  River  may  be  aptly  and  fitly  described 
as  a  soldiers'  fight.  There  is  little  generalship  required  to  place  a 
dozen  infantry  regiments  squarely  before  a  line  of  entrenchments 
and  tell  them  to  go  in  and  win.  The  youngest  newly-joined  officer 
from  Sandhurst  could  have  threaded  the  regiments  at  regular  intor- 
vals  before  the  five  miles  of  Boer  entrenchments  and  have  issued 
the  orders  which  resulted  in  the  victory.  It  is  to  the  indomitable 
pluck  of  the  British  infantry  and  artillery,  to,  their  individual 
dogged  determination  to  make  Modder  River  one  on  the  list  of  the 
victories  of  the  Kimberley  relief  force  that  Lord  Methuen  owes  the 
success    of   the    day.     For  sixteen   hours    the    battle   raged.     For 


5S4  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

sixteen  hours,  on  a  plain  as  bare  of  cover  as  the  dome  of  St.  Paul's, 
the  infantry  advanced  by  the  shortest  of  rushes  in  the  sweltering 
heat,  to  shoot  —  and  get  shot.  For  sixteen  hours  the  artillery, 
innocent  of  that  shelter  which  tacticians  in  books  lay  dow^n  as 
absolutely  necessary,  pounded  away  at  their  invisible  foe.  The 
wounded  fell  out,  and  were  in  most  cases  left,  for  the  stretcher- 
bearers  did  not  dare  to  enter  the  zone  of  fire.  Each  wounded  man 
was  made  a  mark  for  the  enemy's  riflemen.  The  wounded  men 
were  useful  for  the  Boers  —  they  took  sighting  shots  at  them,  and 
got  the  range  perfectly.  Our  men  fought  splendidly  —  that  sounds 
trite  enough,  but  no  plain  English  word  can  possibly  describe  the 
magnificence  of  their  behavior.  A  company  would  advance  a  few 
tortuous  paces,  a  man  here  and  there  would  collapse  with  a  gasp, 
a  few  shots  would  be  fired,  a  few  more  men  would  double  up  and 
again  the  advance.  If  the  stretcher-bearers  could  not  get  to  the 
wounded  they  were  left  till  it  was  possible  to  reach  them.  In 
some  instances  wounded  men  were  left  all  night  on  the  field.  The 
historian  who  writes  a  truthful  story  of  the  battle  of  Modder  River 
will  have  a  strange  story  to  tell,  if  all  one  hears  is  gospel.  Stories 
of  guides  who  reported  Modder  River  to  be  held  by  600  Boers,  of  a 
regiment  sent  to  clear  them  and  finding  12,000!  Of  regiments 
flanking  the  enemy's  position  and  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of 
his  guns  having  to  retire  because  they  were  shelled  by  their  own 
artillery!    Modder  River  was  an  Alma."  i 

One  of  the  best  known  men  in  South  Africa  is  J.  B.  Robinson, 
a  wealthy  mine  owner,  who  fought  with  the  Boers  in  the  Basuto 
war  and  knows  them  as  intimately  as  it  is  possible  for  anyone 
to  know  them.  He  says  no  braver  fighting  has  ever  been  shown 
Ihun  that  displayed  by  the  British  soldiers  in  their  charges  against 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  585 

,  intrenched  positions,   which   could    not    have    been    carried   by  any 
army  in  the  world.     Mr.  Robinson  adds  that  the  war  'Mias  demon- 
strated that  the  man  with  the  gun,  provided  he  knows  how  properly 
to  handle   it,   is  the  force  that  rules  the  world.     No  bravery,  how- 
ever great,  can  overcome  him.     England  has   not  yet  realized,  and 
your  generals  refuse  to  understand,  what  a  man  armed  as  the  Boer  is 
armed,  and   trained  as   he   is   trained,   can   do   against   the  bravest 
men  who  try  to  storm  his  position.     Remember,  that  the   Boer   is 
taught  from  boyhood  to  hit  his   living   mark,   and   to  hit  it  in  the 
right  spot.     When  I  was   a   small   boy  a  shotgun    was   put   in   my 
hands,  and  I  was  encouraged  to  fire  at  birds.     When  I  got  a  little 
older  I  had  my  double-barreled  hunting  piece,  and,  as  parties  of  us 
went  out,  the  elders   would   show  me  just  where   to   fire  so  as  to 
pierce  the  game  behind  the  shoulders  when   running  at  full  speed. 
This  is  the  training  the  Boers   have   had,   and  one   man,   tauglit  in 
this  way,  can  successfully  resist   a   hundred    men  who   try    to    rout 
him  out  from  an  intrenched  position.    On  the  other  hand,    twenty 
men  who  are    poor    shots    can    be    driven    from    their    position    by 
twenty-five  determined  opponents." 

Mr.  Robinson  relates  a  thrilling  experience  of  his  own  in  the 
Basuto  war  to  prove  what  can  be  done  by  the  Boers.  While  Pot- 
gieter  was  out  with  a  company  of  thirty  scouts,  he  made  the 
alarming  discovery  that  he  was  l)etween  two  large  Kaftir  war  par- 
ties. A  desperate  attempt  was  made  by  four  of  the  Boers,  who 
were  well  mounted,  to  escape  by  a  dash,  but  only  one  succeeded  in 
getting  through  and  he  was  unable  to  reach  the  laager  with  the 
news  of  the  dire  straits  of  the  larger  party.  The  party  rode  to  a 
small  ridge  at  headlong  speed  and  began  throwing  up  wliat  stones 
they  could  lay  hold  of  to  form  a  rampart.     Mr.  Robiusou  continues: 


586  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"They  had  only  raised  the  rampart  two  feet  high  when  the 
Kaffirs  were  on  them.  Potgieter  quickly  issued  his  orders.  The 
men  had  dismounted,  and  two  held  the  horses  behind  the  ridge. 
,  *  No  one  is  to  fire  until  after  me,'  the  leader  said.  '  I  will  bring 
down  the  chiefs,  so  many  of  you  are  to  fire  at  the  horses,  and  the 
remainder  are  to  shoot  down  the  dismounted  men  when  they  get 
on  their  feet.'  All  the  Kaffirs  were  mounted,  and  they  rode  up  to 
the  little  band  in  apparently  irresistible  numbers,  the  chiefs,  gay 
with  their  war  plumes  and  heavy  with  Kaffir  beer,  at  their  head. 
The  first  body  that  had  been  sighted  consisted  of  between  four  and 
five  hundred  men,  and  a  second  strong  force  was  afterward  discov- 
ered in  the  rear.  Potgieter  let  them  approach  to  within  seventy- 
five  yards  and  then  fired.  Down  fell  chief  after  chief.  The  rifles 
of  his  men  rang  out,  and  all  the  horses  of  the  leading  men 
stumbled,  shot  through  the  breasts.  The  fire  was  so  resistless  that 
the  charging  party  edged  off  to  the  right  and  the  left,  and  made  a 
circle  in  retreat.  Again  the  Kaffirs  came  on.  They  were  armed 
with  rifles,  and  a  number  of  them  kept  up  a  rifle  fire  at  the  sides 
while  the  mounted  forces  again  charged  forward.  But  the  result 
was  only  the  same  as  before.  They  would  draw  off,  their  chiefs 
exhorting  them  by  the  valor  of  all  their  forefathers,  by  the  great 
deeds  of  Moshesh,  not  to  allow  so  puny  a  band  to  defy  them.  As 
the  hours  passed  there  came  a  rampart  of  dead  Kaffirs  and  Kaffir 
horses  all  around  the  Boers.  Once  the  charging  party  got  so  close 
that  when  the  horses  were  shot  two  of  them  plunged  right  over 
the  kraal,  into  the  Boer  horses  behind,  before  they  fell  dead,  nearly 
causing  a  stampede  among  the  horses  of  the  scouting  party. 

"  The  fight  started  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  By  two  o'clock 
five  or  six  of  the  Boers  were  so  exhausted  they  declared  they  could 


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STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  589 

do  no  more.  Their  mouths  were  parched,  their  tongues  were  swollen 
with  intolerable  thirst.  Their  arms  ached  so  that  they  could  hardly 
move  them,  and  they  were  stiff  in  every  limb.  They  said:  'We 
cannot  fight  any  longer,'  but  their  leader  laughed  at  them.  'Put  two 
pebbles  in  your  mouths,'  he  said.  'That  will  lessen  your  thirst.  If 
you  cannot  fire  any  more,  let  me  have  your  guns.  You  keep  them 
loaded,  and  I  will  do  the  shooting.  We  must  fight  or  die;  there 
is  no  escape.'  And  so  he  heartened  them.  The  fighting  kept  on 
till  six  in  the  evening,  and  then  the  Kafiirs  drew  off.  The  Boers 
quickly  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity.  They  knew  that  their 
one  hope  was  to  get  clear  away,  for  ammunition  was  running  short, 
and  if  the  Kaffirs  surrounded  them  during  the  night  they  would  be 
done.  Half  their  horses  had  been  shot  by  the  Kaffirs,  but  the 
hungry,  aching  and  thirsty  men  got  two  each  on  the  remaining 
horses  and  made  a  detour  home. 

"They  should  have  been  back  in  the  laager  by  six  that  night, 
and  when  they  did  not  come,  though  all  the  other  scouting  parties 
returned,  we  grew  anxious.  We  organized  relief  parties,  and  set 
out  hunting  for  them.  They  were  too  far  away,  and  the  wind  was 
blowing  the  wrong  way,  so  that  we  could  not  hear  the  sounds  of 
firing  in  the  camp.  We  went  out,  firing  at  intervals.  At  last 
they  heard  our  shots,  and  signalled  back.  When  we  came  up  to 
them  they  could  hardly  move.  We  poured  brandy  down  their  throats, 
and  cheered  them,  and  got  them  in.  IXit  we  had  no  idea  of  the 
wonderful  battle  they  had  fought.  They  said  little  about  it,  for 
they  were  too  exliausted  to  speak.  It  was  only  next  day,  when  we 
came  up  to  the  field  of  battle,  and  saw  the  great  number  of  the 
dead  and  dying,  that  we  knew  what  deeds  they  had  done." 

It  is  against  such  men   as  described  by  Mr.  Robinson  that  the 

32 


590  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Britisli  iiifjiiili y  li:ive  been  hurled  with  no  possibility  of  success. 
"Even  our  artillery  fire,"  says  he,  "inflicts  very  little  loss  of  life,  I 
believe.  The  Boer  trenches  are  made  after  a  manner  learned  from 
the  Basutos,  like  a  great  S.  It  is  impossible  to  have  a  raking  fire 
down  them,  and  unless  shells  fall  directly  in  the  trenches,  which  is 
very  seldom,  they  do  comparatively  little  damage.  I  am  also  con- 
vinced that  all  the  estimates  of  the  Boer  strength  circulated  in 
this  country  are  great  exaggerations.  At  the  outside,  including  the 
mercenaries  and  the  recruits,  the  Boers  have  not,  I  believe,  more 
than  thirty  thousand  men  in  the  field  at  the  present  moment. 
This  is  exclusive  of  recruits  from  northern  Cape  Colony  or  Natal. 
It  is  their  mobility  that  gives  them  the  enormous  advantage  over 
us.  Take  one  illustration.  They  had  their  forces  on  the  Cape  border 
ready  to  resist  us,  expecting,  as  all  who  knew  the  country  made 
sure,  that  the  three  British  army  corps,  under  Methuen,  Gatacre 
and  French,  would  move  simultaneously  into  the  Free  State.  Had 
they  done  so  the  Boer  armies  would  have  been  scattered  and  our 
troops  could  have  marched  on,  avoiding  their  strong  hill  positions 
and  gone  right  on  to  Pretoria.  He  would  have  captured  their  cattle 
and  have  fought  in  the  enemy's  country  at  the  enemy's  expense. 
An  invasion  of  the  Cape  Colony  would  have  been  impossible. 
Instead  of  that,  the  Boers  were  allowed  to  seize  the  bridges  across 
the  Orange  River,  to  sweep  over  the  country  far  into  the  Colony, 
and  Methuen  was  sent  forward  alone,  bearing  all  the  brunt  of  the 
attack.  The  Boers  at  once  took  their  cue,  and  saw  that  we  were 
giving  them  the  chance  of  their  fighting  our  divisions  in  detail. 
They  threw  all  their  strength  which,  brave  soldier  and  good  fighter 
as  he  was,  he  could  not  overcome.  Remember,  we  are  fighting  the 
Boer  on  his  own  ground,  and,  semi-civilized  though  you  may  think 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  591 

him,  he  had  such  knowledge  of  the  veldt,  and  such  power  of  moving 
about  on  it,  that  no  other  men  can  equal. 

"To  put  the  matter  briefly,  if  the  present  tactics  are  to  l)e 
continued,  the  mere  sending  out  of  large  numbers  of  ill-trained 
men  will  not  meet  the  case,  unless  we  are  prepared  to  suffer  an 
enormous  loss  of  life.  Tlie  whole  system  of  fightmg  must  be  altered. 
Tens  of  thousands  of  infantry  such  as  those  who  are  now  going 
are  of  little  service.  Their  magnificent  courage  is  thrown  away. 
They  are  not  what  we  call  crack  shots,  they  lack  mobility,  all  fatal 
faults,  when  you  have  to  face  sharpshooters  intrenched  in  a  strong 
position.  What  is  wanted  is  a  strong  force  of  iiTegular  hoi-se,  men 
raised  at  the  Cape  from  the  same  classes  as  the  Boers  who  are  now 
fighting  us.  Some  one  from  the  Cape  told  me  the  other  day  that 
this  could  not  be  done,  because  there  is  a  scarcity  of  saddles  at 
the  Cape.  Saddles!  The  men  T  mean  would  bring  their  own 
saddles,  and  their  own  horses,  too.  They  are  trained  shots,  and 
know  every  inch  of  the  country.  I  do  not  mean  the  loafers  about 
Cape  Town  streets,  but  the  hardy  farmers.  If  Methuen  had  a  force 
of  5,000  such  men  helping  him,  nothing  would  stop  him  on  the  road 
to  Bloemfontein.  While  his  army  was  attacking  the  Boer  front 
these  iriegulars  would  sweep  round,  by  a  ford  further  down  the 
river,  to  the  Boer  rear.  Moving  with  great  rapidity,  they  would 
seize  the  Boer  horses,  drive  off  their  cattle  and  render  them  helpless. 

"The  British  soldiers  are  too  dependent  on  their  commissariat, 
too  slow.  A  Boer  commando,  the  men  armed  witli  their  rifles 
alone,  will  take  with  it  suflicient  food  for  four  or  fi\e  days,  each 
man  can'ying  his  own  provisions  in  saddlebags.  In  that  four  or 
five  days  the  commando  can,  with  ease,  cover  150  miles,  a  distance 
that  infantry   would  require   from  twelve  to  fifteen  days  to  cover. 


692  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

This  Boer  war  will  lead  to  the  revolutionizing  of  European  military 
methods,  and  the  hope  of  its  speedy  end  is  the  liberal  use  of 
properly  selected  irregular  horse.  There  is  no  question  but  that, 
as  I  said  before,  the  rifle  and  straight  shooting  with  an  eye  to 
judge  distances,  in  conjunction  with  a  powerful  artillery  force,  will 
supersede  all  other  weapons  of  warfare.  The  man,  however,  who 
carries  the  rifle  must  be  a  smart  rider  and  able  to  handle  his  horse 
in  the  same  way  as  South   Africans  are   taught  to  handle  theirs." 

The  general  reader  gains  the  best  ideas  of  the  realities  of  war 
from  those  who  are  participants.  The  official  reports  are  not  only 
misleading,  but  colorless.  The  accounts  of  the  special  correspond- 
ents are  often  picturesque  and  perhaps  truthful,  but  no  one  can 
see  the  fighting  as  it  really  is  so  well  as  he  who  takes  part  in  it, 
and  it  is  these  letters,  written  to  families  and  friends  at  home,  that 
ai-e  the  most  interesting.  We  are  sure  that  our  friends  will  be  glad 
to  read  a  number  of  such,  for  every  one  will  repay  perusal. 

Second  Lieut.  C.  E.  Kinahan,  of  the  Royal  Irish  Fusiliers,  writing 
to  his  father,  Mr.  G.  P.  Kinahan,  Bagshott,  from  Staatsmodel  Schule, 
Pretoria,  says: 

"We  were  all  taken  prisoners,  together  with  the  Gloucester 
Regiment  and  a  battery  of  mountain  artillery,  which  accounts  for 
us  being  in  Pretoria  so  soon.  We  went  out  at  night  to  occupy  a 
hill  right  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy  in  order  to  protect  White's 
flank  for  an  intended  attack  next  day.  Everybody  knew  that  to 
be  able  to  relieve  us  he  would  have  to  be  entirely  successful,  and 
from  what  we  hear  he  was  not.  As  we  were  going  up  the  hill  in 
the  dark  a  small  party  of  Boers  dashed  through  our  ammunition 
mules,  causing  them  to  stampede.  By  this  move  we  lost  all  our 
mules  (200),  and  with  them  all  our  ammunition  and  artillery.    We 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  593 

started   fighting  at  five  A.  M.,  and   in  a  few  hours'  time  the  Boers 
were  firing  on  us  from  all  four  sides,  until  by  two  o'clock  they  were 
firing  at  about  200  yards'  range  and   doing  fearful  execution.     You 
don't  know  what  it  means  shooting  at  a  Boer;  he  is  behind  a  ruck 
and   all    you    can   ever  see   is   his  rifle   sticking  out.     For  the  last 
hour  of  the  figlit  I  had  a  rifle  and  ammunition  which  I  took  from 
a  dead  man,  and  blazed  away  for  all  I  was  worth.    Then  we  fixed 
bayonets   and    prepared   for  a   rush   when    the  cease  fire   sounded. 
We   were   all   then   taken   prisoners,  except  two  oflicers  killed  and 
eight  wounded,  and  marched  to  the  Boer  laager,  and  sent  off   that 
night  to  a  station  twenty  miles  distant  in  wagons.     While  we  were 
in   their   laager  they  treated  us  extremely  well  and  gave  us  food 
and  tobacco.    All  you  read  about  the  Boers  in  England  is  absolutely 
untrue;  they  aire  most  kind  to  the  wounded  and  iirisoners,   looking 
after  them  as  well  as  their  own  wounded,  and  anything  they've  got 
they  will  give  you  if  you  ask  them,  even  if  they  deprive  themselves. 
We   came   up   to   Pretoria  in   first-class  sleeping  carnages,  and  the 
way  they  treated  us  was  most  considerate,  feeding  us  and  giving  us 
coffee  every  time   we   stopped.    The    day   we   arrived   we  took  up 
quarters  on  the  race  course,  but   we  have  been  moved  into  a  fine 
brick  building,  with  baths,  electric  light,  etc.    They  provide  us  with 
everything,  from  clothes  down  to  tooth  brushes.    They  also  feed  us. 
and   we    are   constantly   getting   presents   of   vegetables   and  cigai-s 
from    private    people.     In   fact,    we   can    liave    everything    we    like 
except  our  liberty;   for  some  reason  or  other,  they  won't  at  jiresent 
give  us  parole,  and  we  are  suiTOunded  by  sentries.     There  are  close 
upon  fifty  officers  in  this  building,  and  they   have  got  any  number 
of  wounded  ones  in  different  places.    They  say  they  won't  exchange 
the  officers  at  any  price," 


594  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

A  letter,  dated  November  29,  received  from  Alexander  and 
Robert  Carlyle,  Argyle  and  Sutherland  Highlanders,  addressed  to 
their  father  in  Dumfries,  regarding  the  battle  of  Modder  River,  says: 
I  "Bullets  and  shells  v^ere  falling  among  us  and  going  over  our 
heads  in  hundreds.  It  began  at  seven  A.  M.,  and  it  was  between  eight 
and  nine  P.  M.  before  it  finished,  and  it  never  slackened  one  moment. 
The  Boers  had  a  splendid  position  and  trenches,  and  if  our  troops 
had  been  in  them  an  enemy  would  never  have  got  within  a  thou- 
sand yards.  The  Boers  lost  heavily  and  we  are  burying  their  horses, 
lying  in  the  river  and  on  its  banks,  in  hundreds.  We  have  been 
over  two  days  without  food  and  on  foot  all  the  time.  We  are 
lying  in  a  farm  and  have  nothing  for  it  but  to  steal  whatever  we 
can  lay  hands  upon.  I  caught  a  hen  and  Bob  got  potatoes  in  a 
field,  and  these  are  being  cooked  in  an  old  can.  The  rest  are  kill- 
ing pigs,  goats  or  anything." 

The  writers  have  been  missing  since  the  Magersfontein  battle. 

A  letter  has  been  received  from  Gunner  Alfred  Beadnall  of 
Scarborough  of  the  Sixty-second  B.  R.  F.  A.,  dated  from  Orange 
River,  November  12,  in  which  he  says  : 

"How  I  often  vnsh  I  never  had  enlisted,  what  with  the  hard- 
ships, such  as  half  starved,  and  we  have  not  had  over  five  hours' 
sleep  at  a  time.     Perhaps  we  have  just  got  our  topcoats  on  the 

ground  and  tried  to  catch  a  few  minutes'  wink  when  those  d 

Boers  have  come  dodging  about,  when  we  have  had  to  stand  to  our 
guns  as  far  as  eight  and  ten  hours  at  a  stretch,  without  anything 
to  eat.  I  am  just  about  sick  of  this  life.  I  often  wish  I  was  back 
at  Mr.  . 

"  You  could  hardly  realize  what  an  awful  scene  a  battlefield  is, 
some  poor  fellow  asking  you  for  a  drink  as  you  pass  him.    Perhaps 


STORIES  FROM  THE  l^ATTLEFIKED  595 

some  will  never  ask  for  water  any  more.  The  most  painful  thing 
to  see  was  a  Dutch  spy  who  was  caught,  and  he  was  tried  and 
sentenced  to  be  shot,  and  the  poor  fellow  was  marched  to  di^'  his 
own  grave,  and  when  he  had  finished  it  he  was  stood  over  it  and 
then  twelve  soldiers  marched  out  and  had  to  pick  up  a  rifle  out  of 
a  group  of  twelve.  There  were  six  of  these  loaded  and  six  unloaded, 
so  none  of  them  knew  who  shot  him  and  the  poor  chap  never  said 
a  word  ;   it  was  all  over  in  a  few  minutes. 

"We  were  just  about  to  eat  our  huml)le  tea  (which  is  a  liard 
biscuit  and  a  drop  of  water)  when  the  alarm  sounded  and  we  went 
into  action,  and  we  had  not  been  out  over  twenty  minutes  when 
there  was  one  officer  out  of  the  Northumberland  Fusiliers  shot 
through  the  heart  and  another  got  shot  and  died  in  the  saddle  and 
three  more  wounded.  That  was  on  Friday  night,  and  we  l)uried 
them  on  Saturday  night  with  military  honors.  Things  are  so  dear 
out  here.  We  pay  4|d.  a  pint  for  beer,  and  we  can  only  get  two 
pints  a  day;  so  you  can  rest  contented  that  we  don't  get  drunk. 
We  had  a  very  bad  time  of  it  at  sea.  We  lost  nearly  forty  lioi*ses 
and  we  have  had  ten  die  out  here;  so  we  did  not  do  so  well.  I  shall 
be  thankful  when  we  get  into  barracks,  if  ever  we  do  s«».  as  we 
shall  have  a  bed  to  sleep  on.  It  will  bo  (luite  a  change  from 
sleeping  on  the  hard,  bare  ground  and  oidy  your  topcoat  to  cover 
you  from  the  wind  and  rain.  I  suppose  \(>u  ha\('  iteen  scanning 
the  papers  every  night  to  see  if  you  could  sc(>  aii\  news  al)out  me, 
but  we  are  in  a  country  where  all  communication  is  cut  off  and 
they  can  only  take  letters  every  fortnight,  and  it  takes  it  over  a 
month  to  come,  so  it  will  be  close  on  Chri.stnnis  when  you  get 
this,  and  I  shall  have  to  wish  you  all  \V  Merry  Chri-stnuis  and  a 
Happy  New  Year  when  it  comes.     I  think  myself  this  will  be  the  la.^t 


59(;  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

letter  that  I  ever  shall  be  able  to  write,  because  we  are  in  a  ter- 
rible position,  completely  surrounded  by  Boers,  and  we  are  going 
to  try  to  get  out,  so  let  us  hope  for  the  best. 

"I  am  writing  this  on  my  water  bottle,  so  you  must  excuse 
the  writing.     We  start  fighting  again  in  the  morning." 

The  following  letter  is  from  a  private  in  the  Royal  Field  Artil- 
lery, at  present  on  duty  in  South  Africa: 

"I  think  it  is  my  duty  to  inform  you  of  the  way  our  British 
soldiers  are  treated  at  present  in  South  Africa.  We  rise  at  four  A.  M. 
— sometimes  earlier — and  are  out  in  the  burning  sun  all  the  day. 
At  night  we  are  bullied  about  like  dogs,  and  fed  by  chance  on  dry 
bread  and  coffee.  I  am  a  driver  in  the  Fourteenth  Battery  R,  F. 
A.,  and  I  am  bound  to  tell  you  that  I  never  saw  such  treatment 
of  our  men — cleaning  harness,  grooming  horses,  driving  drill,  rid- 
ing drill,  gun  drill,  besides  seven  hours'  stables.  We  are  like  slaves 
more  than  British  soldiers.  All  our  boys  of  the  battery  hope  that 
you  will  publish  this  letter,  as  we  are  fighting  for  our  Queen  and 
country." 

Lance-Corporal  Enright,  Third  Battalion  Grenadier  Guards, 
writes  under  date,  in  camp,  Jacobsdal,  November  26: 

"I  write  to  let  you  know  I  am  alive  and  kicking,  though,  as 
you  will  have  seen  by  the  papers,  we  have  been  twice  in  action. 
The  first  time,  at  Belmont,  on  the  23d,  was  awful.  We  left  camp 
at  about  three  A.  M.  and  marched  about  four  miles  in  pitch  darkness. 
Just  as  daylight  was  breaking  we  opened  out  for  the  attack,  and 
just  then  the  enemy  caught  sight  of  us  and  opened  fire.  We  had 
then  an  open  space  of  about  2,000  yards  to  cross,  and  as  the  Boers 
were  behind  tremendous  rocks  on  a  succession  of  hills  about  1,000 
feet  high,  while  we  had  no  cover  at  all,  it  was  not  pleasant.     Well, 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  597 

we  got  across  this  nil  right,  iind  went  for  their  lirst  position,  which 
was  among  some  hills  shaped  like  a  horseshoe.  Here  we  lost  our 
adjutant  and  our  colonel  and  two  officers  wounded,  while  the  men 
were  falling  right  and  left.  As  soon  as  we  got  to  the  top  the 
Boers  cleared  out,  as  they  hate  cold  steel.  We  then  saw  they  had 
occupied  a  much  stronger  position  on  another  very  precipitous  hill 
in  the  rear.  We  then  formed  line  again  and  went  for  them.  It 
was  a  tremendous  struggle  to  get  up  this  place,  as  the  side  was 
like  a  wall,  partly  made  of  loose  bowlders,  and  the  bullets  were 
falling  round  us  like  hail.  You  can  imagine  the  strength  of  the 
position  when  Lord  Methuen  said  he  gave  us  three  weeks  to  take 
it  in.  But  the  Guards  rushed  it  in  three  hours  of  the  hardest 
fighting  ever  seen.  One  of  the  war  correspondents  with  us  says  he 
was  at  Dargai,  and  that  was  nothing  to  it.  I  had  the  luck  to 
bring  in  two  prisoners,  and  we  captured  all  the  enemy's  ammuni- 
tion and  provisions.  The  fight  yesterday  was  pretty  good,  but  I 
did  not  see  much  of  it,  as  we  were  in  the  reserves,  and  only  a  few 
cannon  shot  fell  near  us,  doing  us  no  damage." 

Private  J.  H.  Owen  of  the  Third  Grenadier  Guards,  serving  under 
General  Lord  Methuen  in  South  Africa,  under  date  of  November  26,  says: 
"I  cannot  describe  to  you  my  feelings  wiien  I  first  went  into 
*  action,  but  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  you  that  I  have  come 
through  unharmed.  We  started  at  two  o'l'lock  in  the  morning  in 
the  direction  of  the  position  held  by  the  enemy  in  groat  strength. 
We  advanced  to  within  st)me  800  yards,  when  the  IU)ei*s  opened 
fire.  We  were  ordered  to  lay  down,  which  we  did  for  about  half 
an  hour,  the  bullets  all  the  while  whistling  over  our  heads.  Then 
Major  Kinlock  gave  the  order  to  advance,  and  addressed  the  men 
thus:     'Now,  my    boys,  all   together  as   hard   as  you   can  go';  and 


59R  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

with  a  silent  prayer  to  Heaven,  and  a  thought  of  all  at  home,  I 
dashed  across  the  bullet-swept  zone.  The  Boers,  fighting  from  the 
right,  drove  us  into  another  party  of  the  enemy  firing  from  the  left; 
then  we  'faced  about'  and  received  yet  another  teriflfic  fire  from 
the  front.  Thus,  you  see,  we  were  exposed  to  a  terrible  onslaught 
from  three  sides,  and  up  to  this  we  had  not  fired  a  shot.  The 
Boers  have  a  horror  of  the  bayonet,  and,  courageous  as  they  have 
proved  themselves  to  be,  they  cannot  stand  cold  steel.  So  strongly 
foi-tified  was  the  position  of  the  enemy  that  they  boasted  of  their 
power  to  hold  it  indefinitely.  Yesterday  we  had  another  big  battle 
(Graspan)  and  I  am  thankful  to  say  I  have  come  through  safely 
again;  but  steel,  'best  cold  Sheffield,'  again  asserted  its  superior 
powers  over  the  enemy.  Just  before  starting  yesterday  (battle  of 
Graspan)  we  had  a  biscuit  divided  between  four  of  us  and  a  drink 
of  coffee,  and  did  not  get  another  mouthful  for  twenty-six  hours. 
I  long  for  a  good  square  meal.  We  shall  be  marching  again 
to-morrow  (Monday)  towards  Kimberley,  and  we  are  expecting 
sharp  work  before  we  reach  there." 

An  exciting  bit  of  outpost  work  is  described  in  a  letter  from 
Private  Albert  James,  serving  with  the  mounted  infantry r 

"Another  of  our  fellows  who  was  out  scouting  came  across  a 
nigger  minding  some  sheep,  or  pretending  to  be,  anj^way,  and  he 
had  an  Express,  rifle  with  him.  So  our  chap  loads  his  own  rifle  in 
the  saddle,  gallops  up  to  him,  dismounts  and  covers  him  with  it, 
makes  him  put  his  rifle  down  and  then  go  back  a  step  or  two. 
Our  chap  then  goes  and  picks  it  up,  questions  him  on  different 
things,  and  he  tells  him  there  are  no  Boers  knocking  about.  He 
is  going  to  take  him  prisoner,  when  all  of  a  sudden  he  hears 
voices  shouting     Dick,'  and  'Joe.'     So  he   leaves  his   prisoner  and 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  599 

goes  up  toward  the  rocks  until  he  is  in  speaking  distance  of  them. 
Then  he  sees  he  has  been  led  into  a  trap,  and  he  mounts  again 
and  rides  for  his  life.  You  can  tell  what  shots  they  are.  There 
were,  I'll  swear,  at  least  fifty  shots  fired  after  him  at  random,  and 
not  one  hit  the  mark. 

"  That  was  the  commencement  of  the  firing  and  we  had  to  gal- 
lop and  go  as  hard  as  ever  our  horses  could  take  us  over  ground 
you  would  scarcely  believe  a  horse  could  walk  on.  It  was  full  of 
holes  —  some  like  rabbit  holes,  and  lumps  of  rocks  and  stones  and 
one  thing  and  another  for  at  least  ten  or  twelve  miles.  The 
colonel  who  is  in  charge  of  us  wouldn't  let  us  dispioiint  mid  fire, 
as  he  said  we  should  all  be  cut  up,  and  they  were  too  strong  for 
us,  as  we  were  only  a  small  party  —  and  he   has  got   a  fine  breast 

of  medals  —  but,  d them,    let's   get   it  over.     A    month    to-day 

and  it  will  be  a  bit  nearer  I  hope.  We  chaps  were  swearing  like 
one  o'clock  when  he  wouldn't  halt  us  and  let  us  have  a  packet  at 
'em,  but  I  expect  we  shall  have  another  pop  at  'em  yet." 

Private  J.  Maddison,  Second  Northampton  Regiment,  w  lio  holds 
a  medal  and  three  bars  for  Dargai,  Somani  and  'I'inih  VjUlcy,  writes: 

"  We  have  had  two  battles — one  at  Belmont  iind  one  at  Enslin. 
We  are  having  it  pretty  stiff,  I  can  tell  you.  The  Boers  have  some 
good  rifles  of  German  make,  but  their  shots  all  seem  to  go  over  our 
heads.  At  the  battle  of  Belmont  we  captured  some  biscuits  from 
the  enemy;  they  were  shared  among  the  troops.  In  the  last  fight 
we  captured  a  lot  of  horses,  and  1  had  on«>  myself.  I  was  about 
done  up,  same  as  the  remainder,  fighting  almut  four  bonis  ou  a 
drop  of  hot  coffee.  When  we  got  in  camp  we  had  to  wait  for  the 
train  to  come  with  our  rations.  Water  is  very  short  out  here. 
The  guards  are  in  the  rear  as  usual." 


600  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Sergeaut  Stockwin,  of  the  Northamptonshire  Regiment,  writing 
to  his  brother  from  the  battlefield  of  Enslin,  says: 

"If  this  is  warfare  we  have  had  about  enough.  Three  battles 
in  one  week,  and  we  have  not  shaved  for  a  fortnight  or  washed 
for  a  week  through  the  scarcity  of  water.  It's  not  the  fighting  we 
don't  like;  it's  the  hideous  sights  of  mangled  corpses  afterward." 

Private  J.  Argent,  of  the  Third  Grenadiers,  in  a  letter  to  his 
parents  at  Swansea,  says: 

"At  the  battle  of  Belmont  we  fought  hand  to  hand.  I  was 
just  behind  David  St.  John  when  he  was  shot.  He  stuck  his 
bayonet  right  through  a  Boer  and  could  not  get  it  out  again.  He 
tried  to  throw  the  man  over  his  shoulder  to  get  him  off,  and  then 
another  Boer  came  up  and  shot  him  through  the  head.  Then 
another  of  our  men  put  his  bayonet  through  that  Boer's  heart." 

Here  is  a  grim  picture  from  a  private's  letter: 

"  One  of  our  fellows  was  talking  to  a  parson  who  went  over  the 
battlefield  of  Elands  Laagte  a  day  after  the  fight.  He  says  there 
were  terrible  sights,  the  most  awful  of  which  was  a  Boer  sitting 
down  quite  naturally,  with  a  bayonet  clean  through  him  and  about 
six  inches  of  the  muzzle  of  the  rifle  as  well,  while  the  Tommy  who 
had  given  the  mighty  thrust  was  lying  down  as  if  asleep,  with 
a  small  bullet  hole  in  his  forehead.  The  Boer  was  grasping  the 
barrel  of  the  rifle  with  both  hands,  and  his  eyes  were  staring  out 
straight  in  front  of  him  with  a  horrified  look  in  them,  as  if  he 
had  seen  a  ghost." 

One  of  the  ladies  who  went  out  to  see  the  fighting  at  Lady- 
smith  has  described  that  experience  in  a  lively  letter.  A  shell  landed 
not  many  hundred  yards  away,  and  she  ran  to  get  a  piece  of  it : 

"Off  I  scampered.    Spoke  to  the  first  soldier  I  came  to.     He 


STORIES  FROM  THE  BATTLEFIELD  601 

said:  'Come  with  me;  I  can  warn  you  in  time  to  clear  before 
another  comes.'  So  I  went  gayly  on,  talking  away.  Another  sol- 
dier said:  'Here  comes  another,'  and  before  we  had  time  to  think 
the  awful  booming  and  shrieking  came — and  I  wish  you  could  have 
seen  your  younger  sister.  I  just  shut  my  eyes  tight  and  clung  to 
a  barbed-wire  fence,  and  whispered:  'Good  God!'  It  exploded 
about  twenty  feet  away;  perhaps  not  so  much;  the  eai-th  shook 
under  me,  and  my  legs  felt  shot  all  over." 

A  member  of  the  Army  Service  Corps,  writing  from  Orange 
River  some  weeks  ago,  said: 

"We  have  300  Zulus  and  Kaffirs  here  working  as  laborers  for 
the  Army  Service  Corps  at  4s.  per  day.  They  are  stacking  hay, 
biscuits  and  peat.  So  when  they  brought  the  Boer  prisoners  to 
the  railw^ay  station  these  Zulus  and  Kaffirs  made  a  charge  for  the 
trucks,  and  if  it  were  not  for  the  sentries  with  bayonets  facing 
them  they  would  have  torn  the  Boers  to  pieces.  They  were  in  a 
of  a  rage,  shouting  'La  Boer!'" 


CHAPTER   XXXI 


TOLD    BETWEEN    BATTLES 


As  the  war  in  the  Transvaal  progressed,  the  name  of  Delagoa 
Bay  was  more  frequently  mentioned,  and  there  could  be  no  question 
that  this  main  door  to  that  section  of  South  Africa  was  to  prove 
an  important  factor  in  the  stirring  events  that  have  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  civilized  world.  We  have  refeiTed  to  it  in  the 
preceding  chapters,  and  doubtless  it  will  be  spoken  of  many  more 
times  before  the  end  of  the  bitter  struggle.  It  was  in  Delagoa 
Bay  that  the  British  warships  seized  three  vessels,  whose  cargoes 
were  American  flour,  while  a  Noi-wegian  bark,  laden  witli  supplies 
for  the  Transvaal  railway,  was  taken  into  custody  by  another 
British  cruiser. 

Africa  has  no  finer  natural  harbor  than  Delagoa  Bay  and  none 
on  the  eastern  coast  that  can  compare  with  it.  It  is  twenty-five 
miles  wide  at  its  broadest  part  and  seventy  miles  long,  with  a 
depth  sufficient  for  hundreds  of  the  largest  vessels  to  ride  safely  at 
anchor.  With  an  entrance  fifty  feet  deep,  and  fully  a  dozen  miles 
in  width,  it  is  accessible  at  all  seasons  and  in  every  kind  of  weather. 
At  almost  any  time  steamships  from  America.  England,  Germany, 
and  Cape  Colony  may  be  found  there. 

The  Transvaal  has  no  seaport — that  is  to  say,  nominally  it  has 
none— but  the  town  of  Lorenzo  Marquez,  at  the  head  of  the  bay, 
serves  every  such  purpose.  Three  hundred  and  forty-eight  miles 
almost  due  west  carries  one  through  Portuguese  Africa  to  Pretoria. 
Fifty-four  miles   of  this    distance   is   through   Portuguese  territory. 

(COS) 


604  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

A  little  way  beyond  the  border,  a  branch  line  runs  to  Barberton, 
the  center  of  the  De  Kaap  gold  fields,  among  the  most  valuable  in 
the  world. 

'  England  would  have  been  blind  had  she  not  perceived  long 
since  the  immense  importance  of  Delagoa  Bay.  Just  tw^enty-one 
years  ago  the  British  minister  to  Portugal  persuaded  the  Portuguese 
minister  of  foreign  affairs  to  sign  a  treaty  which  gave  permission 
to  Great  Britain  to  embark  and  disembark  troops  at  Lorenzo 
Marquez,  including  free  passage  for  them  and  their  munitions  of 
war  across  Portuguese  territory.  This  was  a  most  valuable  acquisi- 
tion, or  rather  it  would  have  proved  such  had  the  treaty  been 
ratified  by  the  Portuguese  Legislature,  but  that  body  refused  its 
consent.  Then,  in  1883,  Great  Britain  set  up  a  claim  to  the  posses- 
session  of  the  bay  on  the  basis  of  rights  said  to  have  been  granted 
in  1720.  Portugal  vigorously  resisted  this  claim  and  the  dispute 
was  referred  to  Marshal  MacMahon,  President  of  the  French 
Republic,  who  decided  in  favor  of  Portugal.  The  decision  was  in  fact 
in  favor  of  the  Transvaal,  since  the  whole  business  of  the  port,  with 
a  fractional  exception,  is  hers,  and  the  very  policy  desired  by  Pres- 
ident Kruger  was  carried  out  in  spirit  and  letter. 

The  most  formidable  obstacle  to  England's  acquisitions  in  that 
quarter  has  been  and  still  is  Germany,  whose  material  interests  in 
the  Transvaal  are  larger  than  is  generally  supposed.  A  great  deal 
of  German  capital  is  invested  in  the  mines  and  various  kinds  of  busi- 
ness. At  this  time,  there  are  considerable  German  colonies  in 
twenty  of  the  Transvaal  cities,  including  Johannesburg,  Pretoria, 
Barberton,  Utrecht,  Standerton  and  Lydenburg.  Next  to  the  Dutch, 
they  are  the  most  favored  of  all  Outlanders. 

The  statement  has  been   made  on   excellent   authority    that  in 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  605 

every  month  succeeding  the  collapse  of  the  Jameson  raid,  war  sup- 
plies had  arrived  in  Delagoa  Bay  to  be  shipped  by  rail  across 
Portuguese  territory  to  the  capital  of  the  Transvaal.  In  the  year 
following  that  raid  (1897),  the  Transvaal  government  expended 
$4,717,550  for  war  purposes,  and  the  rifles,  cannon  and  ammunition 
thus  purchased  found  their  way  over  the  railway  line  to  Pretoria. 
Had  the  whole  territory  belonged  to  the  Transvaal,  the  situation 
would  have  been  in  substance  precisely  what  it  is  to-day. 

With  such  a  steady  inflow  of  war  material  into  the  Ti*ansvaal 
for  several  years,  it  is  easy  to  understand  why  her  armies  are  so 
abundantly  supplied  with  everything  needed  to  offer  their  formidable 
resistance  to  the  troops  of  Great  Britain.  Dr.  Leyds,  the  agent  of 
the  South  African  Republic  in  Europe,  no  doubt  speaks  truthfully 
when  he  says  these  supplies  are  sufficient  to  last  for  years  to  come, 
and  it  is  not  difficult  to  believe  the  other  statements  that  an 
immense  armory  and  several  warehouses  are  packed  to  the  roofs 
with  rifles  and  ammunition.  In  a  preceding  chapter  we  have 
described  the  defenses  of  Pretoria,  and,  when  it  is  added  that  the 
railway  trains  going  westward  have  to  climb  to  the  lofty  plateau 
through  the  steep  and  narrow  defile  at  Komati  Poort,  which  bristles 
with  cannon,  some  idea  will  be  gained  of  the  enormous  difficulties 
that  confront  the  British  forces  in  capturing  Pretoria  from  Delagoa 
Bay. 

It  was  the  discovery  of  the  measureless  deposits  of  gold  and 
the  completion  of  the  railway  line  into  the  interior  of  the  Trans- 
vaal that  roused  Delagoa  Bay  from  its  slumber  to  its  possibilities, 
and  gave  it  a  boom  and  development  that  otherwise  would  have 
remained  only  a  dream.  It  was  a  filthy,  lazy,  iin healthful  town, 
whose  principal   industry  was  the  reception  and   forwarding  of  the 

S3 


00(>  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"oceans  of  rum"  into  the  interior  for  the  natives.  Now  the  steam- 
ships in  the  New  York  African  trade  make  regular  calls  at  Lorenzo 
Marquez,  and  the  goods  sent  inland  include  machinery,  squared 
timber,  wheat,  maize,  lumber  and  petroleum,  the  port  being  really 
a  forwarding  point.  The  gold,  however,  has  its  outlet  in  the  Cape 
and  Natal  ports. 

Less  than  half  the  population  of  Lorenzo  Marquez  is  Portuguese 
and  the  place  has  become  what  it  is  through  German  and  English 
capital.  The  former  government  subsidizes  the  German  steamships. 
As  evidence  of  the  boom  of  the  town,  it  may  be  stated  that  land 
which  in  1889  was  worth  less  than  a  dollar  per  square  metre  is 
now  worth  $150,  with  the  tendency  still  upward,  and  houses  in  the 
same  time  have  increased  ten  times  in  value. 

From  what  has  been  said,  an  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
immense  value  of  Delagoa  Bay  to  Great  Britain.  It  is  not  so  long 
ago  that  Portugal  declared  she  w^ould  not  consider  any  proposition 
to  sell  it,  but  it  is  not  unlikely  she  may  be  compelled  to  do  so  in 
the  near  future.  Her  treasury  is  in  bad  shape,  and  she  has  not 
yet  paid  for  the  building  of  the  fifty-four  miles  of  railway  line 
through  her  territory.  Upon  its  completion  in  1889,  she  hunted  up 
a  pretext  for  declaring  the  concession  of  the  railway  line  forfeited, 
the  line  confiscated,  but  the  prompt  action  of  the  American  and 
British  governments  brought  her  to  her  senses,  and,  when  she  comes 
to  settle  the  bill,  she  may  find  herself  compelled  to  sell  Delagoa 
Bay  as  the  only  way  of  obtaining  the  necessary  funds. 

Naturally  the  tendency  of  all  inventions  in  the  line  of  war  is 
to  secure  the  greatest  destruction  of  human  life.  It  may  be  that 
when  universal  peace  comes  to  bless  mankind,  it  will  be  because 
the  engines  of  war  have  been  made  so  awfully  destructive  that  no 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  GOT 

nation  can  afford  to  resort  to  such  means  for  the  settlement  of 
disputes.  It  will  be  a  case  of  simply  who  gets  in  the  "first  blow" 
which  will  annihilate  or  render  helpless  the  other. 

It  is  a  rare  thing  for  a  new  weapon  to  prove  more  merciful 
than  the  implement  it  displaces,  especially  when  no  such  intention 
enters  the  brain  of  the  inventor;  and  yet  that  extraordinary  fact 
applies  to  the  Mauser  rifle,  used  in  our  war  with  Spain  and  figur- 
ing in  the  battles  in  South  Africa.  It  has  been  shown  that  the 
Mauser  has  a  range  and  penetrating  power  so  prodigious  that  a 
few  years  ago  it  would  have  been  deemed  the  wildest  impossibility, 
but  nevertheless  it  is  true  that,  in  securing  this  wonderful  power, 
a  distinct  and  marked  advance  in  lessening  the  horrors  of  war  was 
made.  The  wounds  inflicted  by  the  Mauser  are  so  small  and  clean 
cut  that  they  quickly  heal,  and  soldiers  readily  recover  from  hurts 
which,  if  inflicted  by  the  older  weapons,  would  inevitably  result  in 
death.  Col.  Albert  L.  Mills,  superintendent  of  the  West  Point  Mili- 
tary Academy,  was  struck  by  a  Mauser  bullet  at  San  Juan,  which 
entered  one  temple  and  passed  out  the  other.  It  destroyed  an  eye, 
but  to-day,  in  other  respects,  he  is  as  strong  and  in  as  sound  health 
as  ever.  Had  the  missile  been  fired  by  a  Springfield  or  any  other 
weapon,  he  would  have  been  instantly  killed. 

Sir  William  McCormack,  the  President  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons,  volunteered  his  services  for  the  South  African  war.  lie 
made  a  careful  study  of  the  effects  of  the  Mauser  bullets  and  has 
published  a  report  of  the  same  in  the  Lancet,  the  cases  to  which 
he  reports  being  from  the  Wynberg  Hospital,  near  Cape  Town. 
They  form  most  interesting  reading: 

"I  saw  a  large  number  of  injuries  inflicted  by  the  ALiuser 
bullet,    which    is    remarkable    for    the    small    external    wound    it 


608  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

produces.  In  three-fourths,  if  not  even  a  larger  proportion,  it  was 
impossible  to  tell  the  exit  from  the  entrance  wound,  they  were  so 
similar  in  appearance.  Some  were  quite  healed,  but  most  were 
slits  covered  with  an  adherent  black  scab  slightly  depressed  and 
saucer-like.  Doubtless  some  contraction  had  taken  place  in  healing, 
but  the  size  was  much  smaller  than  the  end  of  a  lead  pencil  and 
quite  circular.  A  few  exit  wounds  were  slits  due  to  slight  deflec- 
tion of  the  bullets  in  their  passage.  These  were  already  healed 
like  an  incised  wound  and  showed  a  linear  cicatrix  about  half  an 
inch  long.  Probably  most  of  these  injuries  were  inflicted  at  a  range 
of  1,000  yards,  although  the  men  said  500  was  the  distance,  in  very 
many  instances,  at  which  they  had  been  hit.  One  man,  a  Gordon 
Highlander,  had  his  elbow  smashed  up  into  small  pieces.  He 
believed  it  was  an  explosive  bullet,  but  it  may  have  been  a  Mauser 
at  short  range,  for  he  was  hit  at  a  distance  of  300  yards.  The 
Boers,  however,  use  other  weapons.  A  Martini-Henry  bullet  was 
removed  from  the  ball  of  a  man's  thumb  yesterday  —  an  almost 
solitary  example  of  lodged  bullet.  They  also  fire  hollow  bullets 
which  would  have  explosive  effects.  The  Mauser  bullet  weighs,  I 
believe,  about  2.3  grains.  Our  Lee-Metford  is  a  little  heavier,  about 
2.7  grains,  and  does  not  carry  so  far  by  some  hundreds  of  yards ; 
while  the  old  Martini-Henry  is  nearly  double  in  weight,  or  some 
4.0  grains.  In  the  wards  I  noticed  quite  a  number  of  perforating 
chest  wounds  and  some  remarkable  perforations  of  bone  without 
any  solution  of  continuity  or  complete  fracture ;  in  one  instance 
there  was  a  perforation  of  the  shaft  of  the  tibia  at  the  junction  of 
the  upper  with  the  middle  third  of  the  bone,  an  injury  which  my 
previous  experience  would  pronounce  quite  impossible. 

"  There  were  several  cases  in  which  the  bullet  had  entered  the 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  fi09 

groin  and  emerged  through  the  central  portion  of  the  buttock,  the 
direction  taken  making  it  difficult  to  conceive  how  the  femoral  ves- 
sels, the  sciatic  nerve  and  artery,  the  femur  and  other  important 
parts  had  escaped  all  injury.  There  were  four  abdominal  injuries. 
In  two  severe  haematuria  followed  and  the  direction  of  the  wound 
suggested  injury  to  the  bladder.  In  another  the  bullet  entered  the 
buttock  and  emerged  in  front  a  little  below  the  riljs.  In  a  third 
instance  the  abdomen  was  traversed  in  a  similar  direction.  There 
were  hgematemesis  and  bloody  stools  for  three  days  without  any 
further  symptoms.  In  another  case  the  bullet  apparently  traversed 
the  abdomen  from  the  right  linea  semilunaris  in  front  at  a  point 
a  little  above  the  level  of  the  umbilicus  to  emerge  two  inches  to 
the  right  of  the  lumbar  spine.  There  were  no  symptoms  in  this 
case  of  any  kind. 

"I  will  mention  in  the  briefest  way  some  of  the  cases  I  saw 
during  my  visit  to  the  hospital  at  Wynberg. 

"  1.  Bullet  entered  the  chest  on  left  side  close  to  margin  of 
sternum,  just  below  the  sixth  rib.  It  must  have  passed  between 
the  internal  mammary  artery  and  the  bone  near  its  division  ;  the 
ball  then  traversed  the  lung  and  emerged  at  the  tenth  rib  about 
four  inches  from  the  spinal  column;  rapid  convalescence — practi- 
cally no  symptoms;  wounded  on  October  21. 

"2.  Bullet  entered  just  below  inferior  angle  of  right  scapula, 
between  seventh  and  eighth  ribs  probably,  and  emerged  just  below 
center  of  right  clavicle;  result,  similar  to  case  1. 

"3.  Bullet  entered  opposite  center  trf  infra  spinous  fossa  of 
right  scapula,  emerged  through  rib  iu  front  three  inches  below 
middle  of  right  clavicle.  Man  had  hiunioptysis  for  a  week;  no 
dyspncea  or  other  symptoms. 


610  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"4.  Bullet  entered  level  of  fourth  dorsal  vertebra,  about  tw^o 
inches  from  spine  on  right  side,  emerged  two  inches  below  center 
of  right  clavicle.  Man  spat  blood  for  a  week ;  says  he  felt  no 
inconvenience  otherwise. 

*'5.  Perforating  wound  of  surgical  neck  of  left  humerus  with 
some  detached  fragments.  Skiagram  shows  extent  of  damage  clearly. 
The  fragments  were  removed;  patient  convalescent. 

"6,  Wound  across  knee;  bullet  entered  one  and  a  half  inches 
behind,  and  on  level  of  head  of  right  fibula,  emerging  on  inner 
side  opposite  middle  of  internal  condyle.  Wounds  healed;  joint 
mobile. 

"7.  Bullet  entered  anterior  aspect  of  thigh  two  inches  above 
upper  border  of  patella  and  in  the  middle  line,  emerged  over  the 
inner  tuberosity  of  the  tibia,  which  appeared  to  be  grooved  by  it. 
Wounds  healed,  joint  mobile,  yet  it  is  difficult  to  suppose  the  joint 
escaped. 

"8.  Bullet  entered  middle  of  outer  side  of  right  knee  and  emerged 
through  center  of  patella,  causing  a  complete  transverse  fracture 
with  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  separation.  The  wounds  had  healed 
and  the  man  had  been  able  to  get  about,  but  on  the  previous  day 
he  had  fallen  and  had  hurt  the  injured  knee,  which  caused  a  great 
deal  of  swelling.  There  is  no  rise  of  temperature  and  he  is  doing 
w^ell.  The  joint  is  fairly  movable.  This  man  is  a  Boer  field  cornet, 
Pretorius  by  name.  He  is  a  fine  looking  man,  with  a  cheery, 
pleasant  face,  and  speaks  English  perfectly. 

"9.  Bullet  entered  opposite  center  of  patella,  through  which  it 
passed,  and  emerged  opposite  inner  condyle,  which  was  grooved  by 
the  ball.  All  evidence,  save  the  scars  of  entrance  and  exit  wounds, 
had  disappeared  and  the  knee  was  apparently  as  good  as  ever. 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  Gil 

"10.  Scar  of  entrance  wound  immediatel}'  over  the  right 
femoral  artery  and  two  inches  below  Poupart's  ligament.  The 
artery  can  be  felt  pulsating  exactly  beneath  it.  The  bullet  then 
passed  apparently  inside  the  upper  end  of  the  femur  without 
impairing  the  bone  and  emerged  just  posterior  to  the  great  troc- 
hanter. 

"11.  Bullet  entered  in  front  of  and  an  inch  below  the  top  of 
the  great  trochanter,  which  it  grooved,  and  emerged  through  the 
middle  of  the  buttock. 

"12.  Bullet  entered  anterior  surface  of  thigh  at  junction  of 
middle  and  upper  thirds  and,  passing  internally  to  the  femur,  emerged 
through  the  center  of  the  buttock.  In  none  of  these  last  three 
cases  had  any  important  structure  been  damaged,  and  the  wounds 
were  either  completely  healed  or  were  still  covered  with  the  small 
black  scab  already  mentioned. 

"  13.  In  this  case  the  man  was  wounded  on  October  21  and 
operated  on  by  Colonel  Stevenson  twenty-four  days  afterward  in 
the  base  hospital  —  viz.,  on  November  14.  He  was  doing  quite  well 
when  I  saw  him,  and  three  days  later  I  heard  ho  was  practically 
quite  well.  The  bullet  entered  from  behind  two  inches  below  the 
fold  of  the  axilla  and  emerged  in  front  just  beneath  the  anterior 
axillary  fold.  When  Colonel  Stevenson  saw  him  he  diagnosed  a 
damaged  artery  from  the  gradually  increasing  tense  swelling  and 
absence  of  radial  pulse.  He  made  an  incision,  which  had  subse- 
quently to  be  enlarged  to  five  inches,  and,  after  turning  out  nearly 
a  pint  of  dark  clotted  blood,  found  a  large  breach  in  the  vessel 
where  the  axillary  becomes  brachial.  When  the  final  portions  of 
clot  were  removed,  a  formidable  rush  of  arterial  blood  occurred,  but 
this  was  immediately  controlled  and  both   ends   of  the  vessel  were 


612  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

securely  ligatured.  When  I  saw  the  man  a  week  exactly  after  the 
operation  the  external  wound  had  healed  except  where  the  drainage- 
tube  emerged.  The  temperature  was  normal  and  the  general 
condition  excellent.  The  wound  was  not  quite  aseptic  from  the 
start,  but  all  went  well.  There  was,  when  1  examined  him,  no 
perceptible  radial  pulse. 

"14.  One  man  had  four  wounds  in  the  upper  extremities, 
caused  by  the  same  bullet.  It  entered  the  arm  on  the  outer  side 
two  inches  above  the  elbow  joint  and  emerged  two  inches  below, 
and  then  entered  the  ball  of  the  thumb,  smashed  the  metacarpo- 
phalangeal-] oint,  and  finally  emerged  over  the  first  phalanx. 

"15.  Bullet  entered  subcutaneous  surface  of  tibia,  a  little 
below  the  junction  of  upper  with  middle  thirds  of  the  shaft  of 
that  bone.  There  was  a  clean  cut  perforation  through  the  tibia, 
but  no  general  fracture  or  solution  of  continuity,  which  is  very 
remarkable  in  the  compact  tissue.  This  man  says  he  was  hit  at 
500  yards,  but  more  probably  it  was  1,000. 

"16.  Bullet  passed  transversely  across  forehead  about  an  inch 
above  the  level  of  the  orbits;  the  bone  is  deeply  grooved  and  along 
the  upper  margin  there  is  an  elevated  fracture  parallel  to  the 
groove.  The  man  describes  himself  as  being  'knocked  silly'  for  a 
time  and  there  was  a  temporary  diplopia,  but  the  wounds  at  each 
side  of  the  forehead  are  healed  and  he  claims  to  be  perfectly  well. 

"17.  Bullet  entered  right  malar  bone  close  to  its  junction 
with  zygomatic  process,  passed  almost  transversely  across,  and 
emerged  just  above  the  center  of  the  left  zygomatic  arch,  which  it 
grooved.  There  was  copious  bleeding  from  the  mouth  and  the  left 
ear,  in  which  the  patient  is  now  deaf.  He  complained  of  loss  of 
smell  for  a  time,  but  this  is  restored.     He  is  going  about  the  ward, 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  61:] 

the  wound  quite  healed,  and  says  he  is  perfectly  fit  and  well. 
This  man  was  wounded  on  October  30,  distance  said  to  be  250 
yards." 

On  January  4,  a  largely  attended  meeting  was  held  in  Brussells 
to  formulate  a  national  address  to  President  McKinley,  urging  his 
intervention  in  South  Africa.  The  following  is  the  text  of  the 
address: 

"Deeply  moved  by  the  terrible  and  sanguinary  conflict  in  which 
two  civilized  nations  are  engaged  in  South  Africa,  the  undersigned 
make  an  urgent  appeal  in  favor  of  that  mediation  that  you  alone 
are  in  a  position  to  offer.  We  implore  yon  to  fulfill  this  sacred 
duty  toward  the  fraternity  of  mankind." 

Bearing  upon  this  point,  the  statement  was  made  by  the  United 
States  government  that  no  request  of  the  nature  referred  to  had 
been  made  by  the  Transvaal  government  and  no  attention  would 
be  paid   to  such  requests  unless  made  by  both  governments. 

Attention  was  now  fixed  upon  Ladysmith  and  the  campaign  of 
General  BuUer  for  its  relief.  The  widespread  anxiety  was  not 
allayed  by  the  receipt  of  the  following  dispatch  from  General  Buller: 

"Frere  Camp,  January  6 — 12:45  P.  M.  The  following  has  been 
received  from  General  White  (the  commander  at  Ladysmitii):  *I 
have  beaten  the  enemy  off  at  present,  but  they  are  still  around  me 
in  great  numbers,  especially  to  the  south,  and  1  think  a  renewed 
attack  very  probable.'  I  see  the  sun  has  failed,  so  I  cannot  get 
further  information  from  Ladysmith  until  to-morrow." 

A  second  dispatch  soon  followed,  as  follows: 

"Frere  Camp,  January  7.  1  received  the  following  to-day  from 
General  White:  'At  3:15  P.  M.,  January  (>,  the  attack  was  renewed 
and  was   very  hard    pressed.      I    have    absolutely    no    more    news.' 


r>l  1  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

There  is  no  sun.  There  is  a  camp  rumor  that  General  White 
defeated  the  enemy  at  five  P.  M.  and  took  400  prisoners.  I  sent 
all  available  troops  to  make  a  demonstration  against  Colenso.  The 
trenches  there  are  all  occupied  by  the  enemy." 

The  two  days'  fighting  in  front  of  Ladysmith  was  of  the  hard- 
est character.  The  Boers  made  desperate  efforts  to  secure  possession 
of  Csesar's  Camp  and  its  redoubts  on  Bester's  Hill,  which  is  less 
than  two  miles  south  of  the  British  headquarters  in  Ladysmith  and 
five  miles  west  of  the  Boer  position  on  Isambulwana  Mountain. 
More  than  once  it  looked  as  if  they  must  succeed,  but  they  were 
met  with  unsurpassable  courage  and  at  one  time  were  repelled 
at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Believing  that  General  White's  helio- 
graphs meant  that  he  urgently  needed  relief,  General  Buller 
responded  by  ordering  an  advance  by  the  two  brigades  of  General 
Clery's  division  with  a  body  of  cavalry  supported  by  artillery 
toward  Colenso,  on  the  afternoon  of  January  6.  Night  descended 
as  the  British  troops  approached  Colenso,  but  although  the  Boer 
intrenchments  were  occupied  in  force,  no  reply  was  made  from 
any  of  their  positions  to  the  British  fire.  The  indications  were 
that  General  Joubert  was  forcing  matters  to  an  issue.  Much  con- 
cern was  felt  for  the  garrison  at  Ladysmith,  for  it  was  known  that 
a  great  deal  of  sickness  was  there  and  it  was  feared  that  the 
ammunition  of  the  garrison  was  running  low. 

A  minor  reverse  befell  the  British  at  Colesberg,  where  four 
companies  of  one  of  the  battalions  made  a  night  attack  on  a  Boer 
position,  but  were  repulsed  with  the  loss  of  seven  officers  and  sev- 
enty men  taken  prisoners.  The  result  most  to  be  deplored  was 
the  moral  effect  produced  by  this  incident  upon  the  Boers,  who 
were  sure  to  be  greatly  encouraged. 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  ()15 

Regarding  General  Gatacre,  it  may  be  said  his  attention  was 
occupied  with  the  doings  of  the  Boers  and  insurgent  Afrikanders 
to  the  east  of  his  headquarters  at  Sterkstroom.  It  was  stated  from 
Cape  Town  that  they  were  strengthening  their  position  in  Barkly 
East  and  were  continually  joined  i)y  members  of  the  Afrikander 
population  in  the  northeastern  districts  of  Cape  Colony. 

One  reason  given  for  the  delay  of  the  Kimberley  relief  column 
was  not  generally  known.  It  appears  there  were  but  three  points 
in  the  direct  advance  to  Kimberley  where  a  sufficient  supply  of 
water  could  be  depended  upon,  and  all  of  them  were  held  l)y 
Boers,  w^ho,  as  usual,  had  erected  strong  defensive  works. 

A  dispatch  on  January  11  announced  the  arrival  of  Lord 
Roberts  and  General  Kitchener  and  his  staff  at  Cape  Town,  where 
they  were  received  with  great  enthusiasm,  but  since  days  must 
pass  before  the  hand  of  the  commander  could  be  felt,  tlie  general 
attention  was  directed  northward,  where  everyone  knew  important 
events  were  impending. 

The  news  from  Cape  Town  was  that  the  Boer  successes  liad 
caused  an  outburst  of  enthusiasm  in  their  favor.  Even  the  children 
in  schools,  less  than  fifty  miles  to  the  northward,  were  practicing 
their  songs  of  triumph  and  exultation.  There  seemed  basis  for  tlie 
statement  that  President  Kruger  asked  Boer  headtjuarters  wliy 
Ladysmith  was  not  attacked,  to  whicli  the  reply  was  made  that 
the  losses  would  prove  too  heavy.  Then  the  President  suggested 
that  the  Orange  Free  State  force  be  put  at  the  front.  Tliis  w;i5 
done,  and  they  gave  the  best  possible  account  of  themselves.  They 
managed  to  seize  a  hill  from  the  British,  and  \n  Ikmi  afterward  the 
Transvaal  Boers  retreated  before  General  White's  counter  attack, 
they  were  taunted  and  jeered  by  the   Free  Staters,  who  hoUl  their 


ck;  the  story  of  south  Africa 

captured  position  until  driven  out  by  the  British  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet. 

There  was  no  concealing  the  fact  that  the  distrust  of  General 
Methuen  was  not  only  general,  but  was  growing.  He  had  l)een 
guilty  of  great  rashness,  and  it  was  reported  that  he  was  to  be 
relieved  of  his  command  of  the  Kimberley  relief  column  at  the 
Modder  River.  The  statement  was  made  by  the  Liverpool  Post  that 
the  War  Office  had  in  its  possession  a  letter  from  General  Wauchope, 
written  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Magersfontein,  in  which  he  lost 
his  life,  containing  these  words: 

"  This  is  the  last  letter  I  shall  ever  write.  I  have  been  ordered 
to  perform  an  impossible  task. 

"I  have  vainly  remonstrated,  but  must  obey  or  surrender  my 
sword." 

It  was  said  further  that  when  Wauchope  fell,  he  exclaimed: 

"  For  God's  sake,  don't  blame  me,  boys ;  it  is  not  my  fault." 

There  was  wonder  on  the  part  of  many  why  General  Methuen 
ever  received  the  important  command  with  which  he  was  entrusted. 
He  possessed  no  more  than  mediocre  ability,  and  social  influence 
had  much  to  do  with  his  promotion,  the  proverbial  ''pull"  across 
the  water  being  as  effective  at  times  as  in  Washington,  U.  S.  A. 
The  Magersfontein  defeat  was  similar  in  its  main  features  to 
Balaklava.  There  Nolan  was  killed  in  executing  the  movement 
when  *'  someone  had  blundered,"  and  the  lips  of  General  Wauchope, 
who  might  have  told  the  whole  truth,  were  sealed  forever. 

The  first  move  of  General  Buller  for  the  relief  of  Ladysmith 
was  in  the  direction  expected.  He  reported  in  his  dispatch  from 
Springfield  (between  the  upper  stream  of  the  Tugela  and  the  Little 
Tugela)  that  he   had   occupied  the  south  bank  of  the  main  stream 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  617 

at  Potgieter's  Drift  and  seized  the  crossing.  The  intention  to 
attempt  a  movement  by  the  Boer  right  flank  was  evident  from  the 
numerous  reconnaissances  in  the  direction  named.  That  the  Boers 
themselves  expected  it  was  shown  by  their  disappearance  from 
Springfield  a  number  of  days  before  and  their  taking  up  of  a  posi- 
tion on  the  north  side  of  the  Tugela,  commanding  Potgieter's  Drift. 
There,  it  need  hardly  be  said,  they  strongly  fortified  and  intrenched, 
mounting  some  of  the  guns  captured  at  Colenso  weeks  before. 

The  official  statement  of  the  losses  on  January  6  put  them  at 
13  officers  and  135  men  killed  and  27  officers  and  245  men  wounded. 
That  of  the  Boers  was  much  less,  though  no  reliable  figures  were 
given.  The  statement  was  persistently  repeated  that  General  Methuen 
had  been  only  nominally  in  command  of  his  division  since  the  Magers- 
fontein  defeat. 

There  had  been  such  flagi-ant  violation  of  the  rights  of  neuti-ality 
in  Delagoa  Bay,  that  the  Portuguese  minister  called  '"by  uppoint- 
ment"  at  the  Foreign  Office  on  January  6.  The  call  w^as  followed  by 
a  declaration  on  the  part  of  Portugal  that  thenceforward  she  would 
use  greater  care  in  observing  the  duties  of  a  neutral. 

At  the  same  time  no  little  irritation  was  felt  over  the  attitude 
of  Holland.  The  right  of  the  young  Queen  to  hold  what  sentiments 
she  pleased  could  not  be  questioned,  but  England  maintained  tha^ 
something  was  due  her  official  position.  She  showed  marked  favors 
to  Dr.  Leyds,  the  Transvaal  agent,  who,  with  his  associates,  had 
shipped  munitions  of  war  and  enlisted  officers  without  the  least 
hindrance.  Moreover,  she  wrote  to  the  Pope,  the  Kaiser  and  the 
King  of  Italy,  praying  them  to  take  the  diplomatic  initiative  to 
stop  the  cruel  war. 

England   has   had    no   staucher    friend    in    her   troubles   than 


618  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Italy.  From  the  beginning  she  placed  every  facility  at  the  com- 
manil  of  the  British  agents  engaged  in  buying  mules  and  other 
things,  and  at  the  same  time  strictly  enforced  her  neutrality  posi- 
tion against  the  Tioe'r  agents.  Furthermore,  when  the  Creusot 
Company  absolutely  refused  to  sell  guns  to  Great  Britain,  word 
was  telegraphed  from  Rome  to  the  War  Office  in  London  that  the 
great  gunmakers,  the  Acieries  Company,  had  ready  for  shipment  a 
battery  of  large  quick-firers,  equal  in  all  points  to  the  famous 
French  weapons.  It  took  but  a  short  time  for  a  bargain  to  be 
struck.  Dr.  Leyds  sent  a  written  protest  to  Rome  and  received  an 
acknowledgment  of  its  reception,  which  was  all. 

A  notable  incident  occurred  on  January  6,  when  a  small  Brit- 
ish force  from  the  Orange  River  bridge  camp  occupied  a  position 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river  at  Zoutpan's  Drift,  just  within  the 
Free  State  border,  this  being  the  first  lodgment  on  Boer  territory. 
A  reconnaissance,  a  week  later,  by  General  Methuen,  into  the  Orange 
Free  State,  from  several  points  on  the  railway  between  the  Orange 
and  Modder  rivers  toward  Bloemfontein  and  Jacobsdal,  showed  the 
country  within  twenty  miles  of  the  border  to  be  free  apparently 
of  Boers,  though  signs  were  seen  of  them  near  Jacobsdal. 

A  sortie  was  made  by  the  Kimberley  garrison  on  the  9th 
toward  Karafersdam,  north  of  the  town  and  near  the  waterworks. 
There  was  a  sharp  exchange  of  artillery  fire,  but  nothing  was 
accomplished.  The  Rhodesian  force,  feeling  its  way  for  the  relief 
of  Mafeking,  found  the  bridge  four  miles  south  of  the  Gaberones 
destroyed.  Later  dispatches  stated  that,  as  a  result  of  the 
bombardment  of  Mafeking,  the  eastern  fort  defending  the  place 
was  demolished  and  abandoned  by  the  British  garrison,  which 
withdrew  into  the  town.     Nothing  seemed  more  probable  than  that 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  619 

Colonel  Baden  Powell,  unless  speedily  relieved,  would  be  obliged 
to  capitulate. 

On  January  15  the  Boers  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  take  a 
hill  at  Rendsberg,  Cape  Colony,  held  l^y  the  Yorkshires  and  New 
Zealanders.  They  displayed  great  daring,  creeping  up  the  hill  and 
using  everj^thing  that  could  be  turned  into  a  cover.  When  close 
to  the  wall  they  made  a  rush,  ])ut  the  Yorkshires,  consisting  of 
only  one  company  of  the  battalion  and  a  small  party  of  New 
Zealanders,  some  of  whom  had  never  been  in  battle  before,  l)ounded 
over  the  wall  and  made  so  fierce  a  bayonet  charge  that  the  Boers 
were  put  to  a  headlong  flight  and  had  to  abandon  their  killed  and 
wounded.    Their  loss  was  given  as  twenty-one  killed  and  fifty  wounded. 

It  was  characteristic  of  President  Kruger  that  he  should  see  the 
hand  of  God  in  all  events  that  took  place  in  his  country.  It  would 
be  the  same  if  his  people  were  overwhelmed  with  ruin  and  destruc- 
tion. He  issued  a  circular  letter  to  his  generals  urging  them  to 
zeal  and  promptitude,  and  declaring  that  God  so  blessed  their 
efforts  that,  with  energy,  a  successful  issue  might  be  expected.  He 
urged  them  to  read  Psalm  xxxiii,  adding  that  the  enemy  had  fixed 
their  faith  on  Psalm  Ixxxiii.  His  final  words  were:  "We  must 
continue  to  fight  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

In  the  earlier  portion  of  this  work  w^e  have  given  a  description 
of  the  home  life  of  President  Kruger  and  of  that  remarkable  man's 
personality.  Since  that  was  written,  the  following,  from  the 
Christian  Intelligencer,  has  appeared,  and  it  seems  appropriate  that 
it  should  close  our  reference  to  Oom  Paul,  thus  comi>leting  a  \nc- 
ture  which  cannot  fail  to  be  interesting,  though  framed  in  the 
grim  setting  of  bloodshed  and  war: 

"It  is  during  the  Jameson    raid.     Tlie  first  lady  of  the  land  is 


620  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

knitting  stockings  for  her  grandchildren.  She  is  sitting  on  the 
porch  of  the  simple  cottage  which  constitutes  the  executive  man- 
sion of  the  South  African  Republic.  In  the  "zykamer"  (parlor) 
the  president  confers  with  his  cabinet.  "Tonte"  (aunt)  Kruger's 
attention  seems  to  be  entirely  taken  up  by  her  work.  She  is  count- 
ing the  stitches.  Suddenly  she  raises  her  head  and  listens.  Some- 
body is  speaking  English. 

It  is  one  of  the  guards  which  have  been  placed  around  the 
cottage  in  order  to  protect  Oom  Paul  from  any  treacherous  design 
on  the  part  of  the  "  Uitlanders."  Mrs.  Kruger  has  an  invincible 
aversion  to  the  tongue  of  the  British,  although  she  speaks  it  fairly 
well.  She  immediately  puts  her  knitting  down  and  enters  the 
room  where  the  cabinet  is  in  session.  She  unceremoniously  inter- 
rupts the  proceedings  and  informs  "Neef"  (cousin)  Joubert  that 
one  of  the  'guards  was  an  "  Engelsman "  (Englishman).  Through 
the  window  she  points  out  the  man  in  question.  Piet  Joubert 
laughs  and  assures  her  that  the  guard  is  a  loyal  "Afrikander," 
Her  husband  supports  him,  but  his  good  wife  is  not  satisfied.  She 
quotes  the  old  Dutch  proverb  that  "caution  is  the  mother  of  the 
china  closet,"  and  insists  that  the  guard  be  replaced  by  a  man  who 
will  speak  "de  taal"  (the  language)  when  on  duty.  The  members 
of  the  cabinet  know  from  experience  that  there  is  no  gainsaying 
"Tonte"  Kruger  in  matters  which  pertain  to  her  husband's  safety, 
and  under  some  pretext  or  other  General  Joubert  sends  the  offend- 
ing guard  home.  "The  first  lady  of  the  land"  returns  to  the  porch 
and  quietly  resumes  her  knitting. 

A  truly  remarkable  woman  is  this  old  lady,  in  whose  veins 
flows  the  blood  of  the  Duplessis  family,  one  of  her  ancestors  having 
been  the  great  Due  de  Richelieu. 


TOLD  BETWEEN  BATTLES  621 

When  the  writer's  informant,  Mr.  H.  Verschum,  the  well-known 
Dutch  traveler,  visited  President  Kruger  at  Pretoria,  he  found 
Mrs.  Kruger  engaged  in  preparing  dinner,  the  incarnation  of  a 
simple  housekeeper;  yet,  when  an  hour  later  the  conversation  turned 
on  matters  political,  he  was  surprised  to  find  her  remarkabl}'  well 
informed,  her  husband  evidently  having  a  deep  respect  for  her 
judgment.  Mrs.  Kruger  reminded  Mr.  Verschum  distinctly  of  the 
Princess  Bismarck,  whom  he  had  met  in  Varzin  years  before,  and 
who,  though  never  openly  mixing  in  politics,  seemed  to  him  to  be 
a  very  valuable  counsellor  to  the  man  of  blood  and  iron. 

Kindhearted,  as  she  is,  there  is  a  peculiar  gleam  in  her  eyes 
whenever  the  subject  of  England  is  mentioned,  and  her  mistrust 
of  all  that  is  British  is  so  deep  that  to  the  casual  visitor  it  may 
seem  unjust.  But  when  she  begins  to  tell  of  the  dangers  and  the 
misery  of  the  long  "teks"  to  which  her  family  has  been  forced  by 
British  soldiers,  it  is  easily  understood  how  deeply  this  aversion 
is  rooted  in  her  heart  as  well  as  in  the  breasts  of  "  Afrikandei's." 
(Tt  may  be  noted  here  that  this  is  the  name  which  all  Boers  invari- 
ably give  to  themselves,  they  never  using  the  word  "Boer,"  except 
as  a  designation  for  a  farmer). 

It  is  a  common  thing  in  the  Transvaal  to  hear  mothei-s  bring 
their  children  to  obedience  by  telling  them  that  the  '*  Engelsman  " 
will  catch  them  unless  they  mind  their  parents. 

When  we  take  this  hatred  of  their  enemies  into  consideration, 
the  kindness  and  humanity  with  which  tlio  F^oers— even  according 
to  English  testimony  —  treat  the  British  wounded  and  prisoners  in 
the  present  war  becomes  a  strong  proof  of  the  true  Christian  spirit 
among  the  people  of  the  Boer  republics. 

A  very  pretty  example  of  this  is   furnished    when   Mrs.  Kruger 

84 


022  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

and  her  husband  every  morning  gather  the  whole  household  in  the 

parlor   and   a    chapter  from   the   Scriptures    is   read    by  either  the 

[^resident  himself  or  his  wife. 

The  first  lines  of  Mrs.  Kruger's  favorite  hymn,  translated  from 

the  Dutch,  read  as  follows: 

"Where  love  doth  dwell,  there  the  Lord's  blessing  raineth, 
There  dwells  the  Lord,  there  man  His  bliss  obtaineth 
In  life  and  in  eternity." 

Though  always  afraid  of  publicity,  Mrs.  Kruger,  in  conjunction 
with  her  most  intimate  friend,  the  wife  of  Gen.  Piet  Joubert,  put 
herself  at  the  head  of  the  temperance  movement  which  was  inaugu- 
rated in  the  Transvaal  only  a  few  years  ago.  Before  that  time 
there  had  been  little  necessity  for  temperance  work  in  the  two 
republics,  the  Boers  being  a  very  abstemious  people,  but  the 
great  influx  of  foreign  adventurers  and  miners,  especially  at  Johan- 
nesburg, changed  the  situation,  and  there  was  serious  danger  for 
the  younger  generation  of  Boers  at  least.  Mrs.  Kruger  and  Mrs. 
Joubert  have  from  the  beginning  worked  earnestly  for  the  good 
cause  and  have  succeeded  in  minimizing  the  danger  which  threatened 
their  people. 

And  now,  while  the  cruel  war  is  going  on,  who  is  there  more 
deserving  of  the  sympathy  of  the  Christian  world  than  the  kind 
old  woman  who  has  seen  seven  sons  go  into  battle  and  is  now 
praying  to  God  for  her  country  and  for  them? 

H.  Van  den  Berqh. 


CHAPTER  XXXTI 


THE    STRUGGLE    FOR    LADYSMITH 


While  all  England  was  in  a  state  of  anxious  suspense  over 
impending  movements  for  the  relief  of  Ladysmith,  particulars  arrived 
of  the  Boer  assault  upon  that  place  on  the  6th  of  Januarj\  They  were 
contained  in  a  dispatch  to  the  Standard,  dated  the  17th,  and  made  it 
plain  that  the  purpose  of  the  Boers  was  to  capture  Cipsar's  Camp  and 
Wagon  Hill,  for  if  they  succeeded  they  would  have  been  within  rifle 
range  of  the  town.  Caesar's  Camp  was  held  by  the  Manchester  regi- 
ment and  between  them  and  the  Boer  position  was  a  rocky  ravine. 
The  correspondent  says: 

"  In  the  early  hours  of  the  morning,  under  the  cover  of  darkness, 
the  Heidelberg  Commando  succeeded  in  evading  our  pickets,  making 
their  way  through  the  thornbush,  and  reaching  the  foot  of  the  slope. 
At  half  past  2  o'clock  an  alarm  was  raised  by  our  sentries,  but  before 
the  full  extent  of  the  danger  could  be  realized  the  outlying  sangars 
had  been  rushed  and  their  defenders  slain. 

"Two  companies  of  the  Gordon  Highlanders  went  to  the  \\A\)  of 
the  Manchesters.  The  Boers  had  then  already  secured  a  footing  on 
the  plateau,  but  their  advance  was  checked  by  infantry  voll(\vs  and 
an  automatic  gun.  It  was  soon  evident  that  the  camp  was  being  ius- 
sailed  on  the  left  fiank  and  in  front.  By  daybreak  reinforcements 
from  the  Gordons  and  the  Rifle  Brigade  had  been  hurried  to  the 
firing  line.  Lieut.-Col.  Dick-Cunyingham,  while  leading  the  <Jonlons 
out  of  the  camp,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a  stray  bullet  while 
still   close   to  the  town.     The  Fifty-third    liattery    cro.ssed   tlie    Klii) 

(623) 


624  THE  STOiiY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

River  and  shelled  the  ridge  and  the  reverse  slope  of  the  front  position, 
where  the  enemy  were  lying  in  the  bushes.  Shrapnel  was  used  and 
it  did  terrible  execution.  The  fire  effectually  checked  the  Boers  and 
rendered  it  impossible  for  them  to  receive  reinforcements  through 
the  ravine. 

"  The  enemy  throughout  the  engagement  displayed  the  most 
stubborn  courage.  They  were  evidently  determined  to  succeed  or 
die.  Meanwhile  their  guns  were  very  busy.  They  threw  more  than 
a  liundred  shells  at  the  Fifty-third  Battery  and  the  troops  aiding 
it.  The  British,  however,  were  equally  gallant  and  resolved.  They 
pressed  the  enemy  back  step  by  step  until  the  remnant  broke  and 
fled  in  disorder. 

"A  terrific  storm  of  rain  and  hail  had  meanwhile  swelled  the 
streams  into  torrents  and  numbers  of  the  fleeing  Boers  in  trying 
to  cross  them  were  swept  away. 

"  The  struggle  at  this  point  had  now  ended,  but  there  was  a 
more  exciting  contest  going  on  in  the  direction  of  Wagon  Hill.  At 
two  o'clock  a  storming  party  from  the  Harrismith  commando  crept 
slowly  and  cautiously  along  the  donga  in  the  valley  which  divides 
the  British  posts  from  their  camp.  A  few  rifle  shots  killed  the 
British  pickets. 

"Then,  taking  advantage  of  the  cover,  the  enemy  gradually 
reached  the  crest  of  the  hill,  where  the  South  African  Light  Horse 
were  posted.  The  latter  were  forced  to  retire,  not  having  breast- 
works. The  Boers  continued  to  advance  until  they  reached  the 
emplacement,  where  they  surprised  some  working  parties.  Lieu- 
tenant Jones,  with  a  handful  of  men,  made  a  gallant  effort  to  hold 
the  position,  but  the  British  were  outnumbered  and  driven  back. 
The  Boers  then  took  possession  of  the  summit  of  the  hill.    The  Free 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADVSMITH  625 

Staters,  however,  were  unable  to  venture  far,  having  to  face  a  heavy 
fire  from  a  sangar. 

"The  Twenty-first  Battery  and  some  cavalry  arrived  jind  pre- 
vented the  stormers  from  being  reinforced,  l)ut  the  British  position 
was  critical.  They  had  retired  for  cover  beyond  the  slope.  While 
the  enemy  were  making  their  waj^'  into  the  intervening  pass,  Major 
Bowen  led  a  charge  with  a  few  rifles  against  them,  but  fell  shot. 
Lieutenant  Tod  took  his  place  and  met  the  same  fate.  Then  Major 
Wallnutt,  calling  the  scattered  Gordons  together,  charged  and 
drove  the  Boers  back  and  Joined  Lieutenant  Jones. 

"A  pause  then  took  place  in  the  fighting,  but  soon  after,  tak- 
ing advantage  of  the  storm,  the  enemy  attempted  to  rush  the 
position.  Three  of  their  leaders  reached  the  parapet,  but  Jones 
and  Wallnutt  shot  them  down.  Major  Wallnutt  immediately  after- 
w^ard  fell.  This  renewed  check  discouraged  the  assailants.  Never- 
theless, small  parties  of  the  braver  ones  maintained  a  murderous 
fire  from  behind  the  rocks.  The  final  blow  was  a  charge  made  by 
three  companies  of  the  Devonshires  across  the  open  under  a  terri- 
ble fire.  They  fairly  hurled  the  enemy  down  the  hill  at  the  point 
of  the  bayonet.  In  the  charge  Captain  Lafone  and  Lieutenant 
Field  were  killed  and  Lieutenant  Masterson  and  ten  men  wounded. 

■'Our  position  was  now  secure.  Attacks  on  the  north  and  east 
had  also  been  repulsed  and  the  assault  had  failed  all  along  the 
line.  The  Boers  lost  heavily.  They  admit  that  the  engagement 
was  the  most  severe  blow  their  arms  have  sustained  since  the  open- 
ing of  the  campaign. 

"They  were  confident  of  their  ability  to  capture  tlie  town. 
They  had  called  for  reinforcements  from  Colenso  to  assist  them. 
The  Ladysmith   garrison  can   now  await  the  coming  of   relief  with 


626  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

renewed  confidence.  The  Earl  of  Ava,  like  Lieut.-Col.  Dick-Cuny- 
ingham,  was  mortally  wounded  while  going  forward." 

Deeply  interesting  as  was  this  news,  it  was  almost  overlooked 
in  the  excitement  produced  by  the  announcement  that  General 
Duller  had  begun  his  advance  upon  Ladysmith,  and  tidings  of 
the  highest  importance  were  imminent.  Lord  Dundonald,  with 
the  mounted  brigade,  dashed  forward  on  the  11th  and  seized  the 
Springfield  bridge.  Then  he  pushed  on  and  took  a  strong  position 
at  Swartz  Kop,  which  commanded  Potgieter's  Drift.  The  Boers 
were  completely  surprised,  a  number  of  them  being  in  the  river 
bathing  when  Lord  Dundonald's  troops  appeared. 

With  the  exception  of  the  garrison  left  to  hold  Colenso,  the 
whole  British  force  advanced  without  further  delay.  The  South 
African  Light  Horse  wished  to  bring  the  ferryboat  to  the  south  side 
of  the  river,  and  six  of  their  daring  fellows,  under  command  of 
Lieutenant  Carlyle,  swam  the  stream  and  brought  over  the  boat. 
While  doing  this  they  were  exposed  to  a  brisk  fire,  but  no  one 
was  hit. 

In  a  dispatch  from  Spearman's  Camp,  dated  January  18,  the 
War  Office  was  informed  by  G-eneral  Buller  that  one  battery  of 
field  artillery,  a  howitzer  and  Greneral  Lyttleton's  brigade  had 
crossed  the  Tugela  at  Potgieter's  Drift  and  were  bombarding  the 
Boer  position  five  miles  higher  up.  The  troops  of  General  WaiTen 
had  passed  the  river  on  a  pontoon  bridge.  The  news  was  confirmed 
by  a  dispatch  from  General  Lord  Roberts. 

A  reconnaissance,  made  on  January  12,  showed  the  Boers  were 
strongly  intrenched  on  a  number  of  low  hills  near  the  river  and 
extending  to  Ladysmith.  Their  second  main  line  of  defense  was  at 
the   edge  of  an  extensive  plateau,  itself  flanked  and  fortified  by  a 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH  627 

hill   of   considerable   elevation.     The  winding  course  of  the  Tugela 
added  further  strength  to  their  position. 

On  the  eve  of  impending  events,  all  were  interested  in  knowing 
what  forces  were  at  the  disposal  of  General  Duller.  In  Ladysmith 
itself  were  what  was  left  of  four  cavalry  regiments,  nearly  all  the 
members  of  one  being  prisoners  at  Pretoria;  there  were  also  the 
remnants  of  eleven  infantry  battalions,  the  greater  part  of  two 
also  being  in  Pretoria,  and  six  field  artillery  batteries,  General 
White's  mountain  battery  having  been  captured  at  Nicholson's  Nek. 

Outside  of  Ladysmith  there  were  twenty-one  battalions  of 
infantry,  making  up  six  brigades  and  four  battalions  employed  to 
guard  the  base  and  communications,  three  regiments  of  cavalry,  none 
more  than  five  hundred  strong,  nine  field  batteries,  and  one  mountain 
battery  of  artillery.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  two  of 
the  former  batteries  no  longer  existed,  they  having  had  one  gun 
destroyed  and  ten  captured  in  the  defeat  at  Colenso.  The  last 
accounts  represented  General  Buller  as  also  having  six  naval  guns, 
the  intention  being  to  add  eight  others. 

Summing  up  the  forces  against  which  General  Joubert  was  to 
act,  there  were  thirty-four  infantry  battalions,  six  regiments  of 
cavalry,  nine  field  batteries,  a  single  mountain  battery  and  eighteen 
naval  guns.  In  addition,  there  were  the  colonial  and  otiier  irreg- 
ulars, numbering  some  2,600  men. 

The  Tugela  being  passed,  the  fii*st  import«int  action  reported 
was  that  in  which  the  mounted  force  of  Lord  Dundonald  was 
engaged  on  January  17.  It  took  place  west  of  Acton  Homes  and 
the  Boer  force  was  said  to  number  250.  They  were  defeated  with 
the  loss  of  21  killed  and  23  prisoners,  the  British  losing  one  officer 
killed  and  three  men  killed  and  wounded.    The  fact  that  the  British 


G28  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

occupied  the  position  thus  secured  showed  that  it  was  considered 
of  importance.  The  Boers  were  in  such  force  in  the  neighborhood 
that  General  Warren,  the  superior  of  Lord  Dundonald,  found  it 
necessary  to  reinforce  him  with  a  detachment  of  a  cavalry  regi- 
ment. 

Such  momentous  issues  depended  upon  the  results  of  this  for- 
ward movement  that  General  Buller,  like  an  experienced  general, 
took  every  step  with  extreme  care.  The  statement  that  Ladysmith 
still  contained  enough  food  to  last  for  days  if  not  weeks,  was  reas- 
suring and  removed  the  necessity  of  General  Buller  hurrying  his 
movements.  On  the  other  hand,  the  report  of  twenty  deaths  in 
three  days  from  enteric  fever  showed  there  was  no  time  to  be 
wasted  in  the  relief  of  the  garrison,  upon  which  anxious  attention 
has  been  fixed  for  so  long  a  time. 

The  news  that  was  allowed  to  pass  the  censor  showed  that  Gen- 
eral Buller  was  proceeding  with  extreme  caution,  fully  sensible  of  the 
momentous  issues  at  stake.  These  reports,  arriving  on  January  20, 
were  that  his  artillery  had  opened  on  the  Boer  positions  which 
blocked  the  forward  movement  of  his  infantry  and  which  had  to  be 
carried  before  he  could  complete  the  turning  movement  on  which  his 
operations  for  the  relief  of  Ladysmith  depended.  It  was  apparent 
that  the  Boers  occupied  a  very  strong  position  on  Tabanmyana  Moun- 
tain, well  in  front  of  General  Warren's  right  and  General  Lyttleton's 
left.  There  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  Boers  were  preparing  for  the 
encounter  with  the  same  skill  and  iron  resolution  that  they  had 
shown  in  their  previous  engagements.  The  reconnaissances  failed  to 
induce  them  to  unmask  their  positions. 

The  relief  of  Ladysmith  had  become  a  military  necessity.  Not 
only  was  the  prestige  of  the  British  army  involved,  but  the  call  for 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH  629 

such  relief  was  imperative  in  order  to  hold  the  Dutch  of  Cape  Colony 
in  submission.  It  had  been  found  necessary  a  short  time  before  to 
proclaim  martial  law  in  the  Philipstoun,  llopetown  and  Prieska  dis- 
tricts, the  last  being  well  to  the  west.  If  the  60,000  Dutch  capable  of 
bearing  arms  should  choose  to  rise,  the  British  troops  would  be  jdaced 
in  a  most  critical  situation.  The  reports  of  (Jcneral  Hullcr  showed 
the  dijBBculty  in  attaining  effective  positions,  tlie  Hoers  mainly  fulling 
back  from  the  advanced  ridges  between  it  and  the  British  advance,  as 
the  artillery  of  the  latter  was  pushed  ahead  to  cover  the  infantry. 
When  night  approached,  about  a  hundred  wounded  were  brought  in, 
the  number  of  killed  not  being  stated. 

On  January  22,  however,  a  dispatch  was  received  from  General 
Buller  shedding  light  on  General  Warren's  attack.     It  was  as  follows: 

"Spearman's  Camp,  January  21,  nine  P.  M.— General  Warren  has 
been  engaged  all  day,  chiefly  on  his  left,  which  he  has  swung  for- 
ward a  couple  of  miles.  The  ground  is  diflicult,  and,  as  the  fighting 
is  all  the  time  up  hill,  it  is  difficult  to  say  exactly  how  much  we 
have  gained,  but  I  think  we  are  making  substantial  progress." 

The  War  Office  also  received  the  following  from  General  Buller, 
dated  Spearman's  Camp,  January  21,  6:55  A.  M.: 

"In  order  to  relieve  the  pressure  on  General  Warron.  and  to 
ascertain  the  strength  of  the  enemy  in  the  i)osition  in  front  of 
Potgieter's  Drift,  General  Lyttleton  made  a  reconnais.sance  in  force 
yesterday.  This  kept  the  enemy  in  their  trenches  in  full  strength 
all  day.  Our  casualties:  Third  Battalion  King's  Hoyal  HiMcs.  two 
killed,  twelve  wounded,  two  missing." 

The  following  from  a  correspondent: 

Spearman's  Camp.  .January  21,  10:20  P.  M.— After  ten  houi-s  of 
continuous    and    terrible    fire   yesterday,  Generals    Hart    and    Ciery 


630  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

jidviinced  1,000  yards.  The  Boers  maintained  an  irregular  fire  during 
the  night,  ])nt  the  British  outposts  did  not  reply.  This  morning  at 
daybreak  the  Boers  opened  a  stifP  fire.  The  British  stood  to  the 
guns,  where  they  had  slept,  and  the  engagement  was  renewed  vigor- 
ously. The  field  artillery  poured  shrapnel  into  the  enemy's  trenches. 
A  rumor  that  Ladysmith  had  been  relieved  enlivened  the  British, 
who  sent  up  a  ringing  cheer.  This  was  taken  for  an  advance. 
The  first  kopje  was  carried  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  the 
Boers  retreated  to  the  next  kopje,  which,  like  most  others,  was 
strewn  with  immense  bowlders,  surmounted  by  mounds  on  the 
summit.  The  British  advanced  steadily  and  the  Boers  relaxed 
slightly.  The  Boers  did  not  show  such  tenacity  as  previously.  Their 
Nordenfeldts  fired  at  long  intervals  and  their  cannon  fired  but 
seldom.  Apparently  the  Boers  were  short  of  big  ammunition.  All 
day  the  roar  of  musketry  fire  continued.  The  British  took  three 
Boer  positions  on  the  mountain  and  found  shelter  behind  the 
bowlders. 

On  January  23  absolutely  no  news  was  given  out  in  England, 
in  connection  with  the  operations  of  General  Buller,  in  the  way  of 
official  dispatches.  The  Reuter  agency  and  the  Associated  Press, 
however,  managed  to  get  through  several  messages  from  Boer 
sources,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  their  account  of  the  desperate 
struggle  going  on  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Tugela  River.  One  cor- 
respondent states  that  Commandant  Viljoen  narowly  escaped  being 
killed  by  the  explosion  of  a  lyddite  shell. 

Head  Boer  Laager,  Ladysmith,  Monday,  January  22. — A  battle 
has  been  raging  along  the  Oliver's  Hook  road  since  Saturday 
between  the  Boers  under  Pretorius  and  6,000  British.  The  fighting 
is   in   full   swing   at   Spien's   Kop,     The    Boers   under   Botha   and 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMlTll  G31 

Cronje  have  been  sent  thither.  The  British  elsewhere  are  only 
making  a  reconnaissance  of  the  Boer  positions.  President  Steyn 
was  under  fire  at  the  foremost  position  of  the  Free  Statei-s.  Tlie 
quarters  of  Generals  White  and  Hunter  were  smashed  this  morn- 
ing by  a  shot  from  "Long  Tom."  It  is  not  known  whether  any  of 
the  occupants  of  the  building  were  killed. 

Boer  Camp,  Upper  Tugela  River,  Sunday,  January  21.— After 
Commandant  Botha  checked  the  British  advance  yesterday  morning 
it  was  expected  that  there  would  be  no  furthor  action  until  to- 
morrow. 

This  afternoon,  however,  signs  were  discerned  of  an  intended 
movement  in  the  British  northern  camp.  When  the  heat,  which 
was  more  frightful  than  any  yet  experienced,  had  worn  off,  the  Brit- 
ish cannon  started  in  full  force  and  the  infantry  advanced  in 
extended  order.  Generals  Botha  and  Cronje  held  the  high  hills 
over  which  the  road  to  Ladysmith  passed.  When  the  Mauser  fire 
opened  a  pandemonium  of  sound  tilled  the  air.  Tlie  vindictive 
crash  of  lyddite  shells,  the  sharp  volleys  of  Lee-Metfords  and  the 
whiplike  crack  of  Mausers  were  interspersed  with  tiie  boom  of  tiie 
Boer  Maxims. 

The  battle  ended  with  darkness,  but  not  without  evidences  of 
execution  among  the  British  that  were  manifest  at  sunrise.  Field 
Cornet  Ernst  Emilio  was  killed,  nor  did  the  generals  escape 
unscathed.  At  the  central  position,  Swart  Kop,  where  the  other 
road  to  Ladysmith  crossed  the  hills,  the  British  advanced  from  low 
kopjes  on  the  banks  of  the  Tugela  unmolested.  Thou  they  entered 
the  zone  of  Mauser  fire,  and,  although  their  naval  guns  kept  up 
the  usual  terrible  racket,  the  advance  was  stopped  and  the  British 
had  to  count  out   their   dead   and   wounded.     Commandant  Viljoen 


632  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

jiiul  two  burghers  were  knocked  senseless  by  an  explosion  of  lyd- 
dite, but  Commandant  Viljoen  recovered.  Field  Comet  Heilbron 
was  wounded,  and,  on  refusing  to  surrender,  w^as  shot. 

The  British  loss  was  probably  insignificant.  They  complain 
that  expansive  l)ullets  in  Mausers  were  found  in  the  field  and  soft- 
nosed  bullets  with  Lee-Metfords.  The  Boers  admit  that  sporting 
Mausers  were  occasionally  found,  but  they  deny  the  charge  respect- 
ing expansive  bullets.  Not  a  shot  was  fired  by  the  Boers  with 
cannon  or  rifle  at  the  Swart  Kop  position  this  side  of  the  river. 
One  thousand  infantry  and  a  battery  advanced  into  the  second  row 
of  low  hills  between  the  republicans  and  the  river.  Heavy  cannon- 
ading proceeded  at  a  range  of  2,000  yards,  but  the  Boers  maintained 
the  silence  of  death.  This  must  have  staggered  the  British,  as  the 
advance  was  stopped,  and  this  morning  they  had  retired  to  their 
old  positions. 

For  several  days  no  definite  news  came  of  General  Buller's 
effort  to  take  Spion  Kop,  "the  key  to  Ladysmith."  Spion  Kop  is 
described  as  a  hill  4,800  feet  high,  of  which  the  summit  is  about 
four  miles  north  of  Wagon  Drift.  It  stands  on  the  eastern  edge  of 
a  plateau,  five  or  six  miles  long  and  three  miles  wide,  the  w^estern 
edge  overlooking  the  line  from  Wagon  Drift  to  Acton  Homes. 
From  Spion  Kop  the  Boer  big  guns  hold  a  position  against  Lady- 
smith.  Rifleman's  Ridge  is  about  eleven  miles  away  in  a  straight 
line  and  may  be  seen  with  a  good  glass.  The  task  before  General 
Buller's  force  was,  first,  to  take  Spion  Kop  and  any  other  part  of 
the  plateau  then  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Boers.  After  that  he  had 
eleven  miles  to  cover,  and  perhaps  fifteen  to  walk,  and  the  Boer 
big  guns  to  capture. 

England,  and  in   fact  the  whole  world,  waited  breathlessly  for 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH  633 

news  of  Buller's  advance.  Then  suddenly  came  the  announcement 
that  Spion  Kop  had  been  taken  l)y  the  British  January  26.  There 
was  great  joy  in  England,  for  here  was  something  in  the  way  of  real 
success.  London  glowed  with  the  hope  that  the  end  was  now  near 
and  that  the  Boers  w^ould  be  driven  back  at  once.  But  this  hope  was 
only  transitory,  for  three  days  later  it  was  given  out  that  General 
Warren  had  been  unable  to  hold  the  hill,  and  after  tremendous  loss 
of  men  had  been  compelled  to  abandon  Spion  Kop  in  the  night-time 
after  holding  it  only  a  few  hours.  Warren's  lack  of  success  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  further  painful  announcement  that  General  Buller  had 
retreated  with  his  whole  army  across  the  Tugela.  The  following  is 
the  text  of  General  Buller's  dispatch  posted  by  the  British  War  Office 
January  28 : 

On  January  20  Warren  drove  back  the  enemy  and  obtained 
possession  of  the  southern  crests  of  the  high  table  land  extending 
from  the  line  of  Acton  Homes  and  Honger's  Poort  to  the  western 
Ladysmith  hills.  From  then  to  January  25  he  remained  in  close 
contact  with  the  enemy.  The  enemy  held  a  strong  position  on  a 
range  of  small  kopjes  stretching  from  northwest  to  southeast 
across  the  plateau  from  Acton  Homes,  through  Spion  Kop,  to  the 
left  bank  of  the  Tugela.  The  actual  position  held  was  perfectly 
tenable,  l)ut  did  not  lend  itself  to  an  advance,  as  the  southern 
slopes  were  so  steep  that  Wan-en  could  not  get  an  effective  artillery 
position,  and  water  supply  was  a  difficulty. 

On  January  23  I  assented  to  his  attacking  Spion  K«>p.  a  large 
hill,  indeed  a  mountain,  which  was  (>vidently  tlie  key  of  the  posi- 
tion, but  was  far  more  accessible  from  the  north  than  from  the 
south.  On  the  night  of  January  23  he  attacked  Spion  Kop,  but 
found  it  very  difficult  to   hold,  as  its    perimeter  was  too  large,  and 


(VM  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

water,  which  lie  had  been  led  to  believe  existed,  in  this  extraordi- 
nary dry  season,  was  found  very  deficient.  The  crests  were  held  all 
that  day  against  severe  attacks  and  a  heavy  shell  fire.  Our  men  fought 
with  great  gallantry.  T  would  especially  mention  the  conduct  of 
the  Second  Cameronians  and  the  Third  King's  Rifles,  who  supported 
the  attack  on  the  mountain  from  the  steepest  side,  and  in  each 
case  fought  their  way  to  the  top,  and  the  Second  Lancashire 
Fusiliers  and  Second  Middlesex,  who  magnificently  maintained  the 
best  traditions  of  the  British  army  throughout  the  trying  day  of 
January  24,  and  Thornycroft's  mounted  infantry,  who  fought 
throughout  the  day  equally  well  alongside  of  them. 

General  Woodgate,  who  was  in  command  at  the  summit,  having 
been  wounded,  the  officer  who  succeeded  him  decided  on  the  night  of 
January  24  to  abandon  the  position,  and  did  so  before  dawn  January 
25.  I  reached  Warren's  camp  at  5  A.  M.  on  January  25  and  decided 
that  a  second  attack  on  Spion  Kop  was  useless  and  that  the  enemy's 
right  was  too  strong  to  allow  me  to  force  it.  Accordingly  I  decided 
to  withdraw  the  force  to  the  south  of  the  Tugela.  At  6  A.  M.  we 
commenced  withdrawing  the  train,  and  by  8  A.  M.  January  27 
(Saturday)  Warren's  force  was  concentrated  south  of  the  Tugela 
without  the  loss  of  a  man  or  a  pound  of  stores.  The  fact  that  the 
force  could  withdraw  from  actual  touch — in  some  cases  the  lines 
were  less  than  a  thousand  yards  apart — with  the  enemy,  in  the 
manner  it  did,  is,  I  think,  sufficient  evidence  of  the  morale  of  the 
troops,  and  that  we  were  permitted  to  withdraw  our  cumbrous  ox 
and  mule  transports  across  the  river,  eighty-five  yards  broad,  with 
twenty-foot  banks  and  a  very  swift  current,  unmolested,  is,  I  think, 
proof  that  the  enemy  has  been  taught  to  respect  our  soldiers' 
fighting  powers. 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH  635 

The  following  was  the  Boer  account  of  the  battle:  Boer  Head- 
quarters, Modder  Spruit,  Upper  Tugela,  Wednesday,  January  24, 
midnight,  via  Lorenzo  Marquez,  Thursday,  January  25. — Some 
Vryheid  burghers  from  the  outposts  on  the  highest  hills  of  the 
Spion  Kop  group  rushed  into  the  laager  saying  that  the  kop 
was  lost  and  that  the  English  had  taken  it.  Reinforcements  were 
ordered  up,  but  nothing  could  be  done  for  some  time,  the  hill  being 
enveloped  in  thick  mist.  At  dawn  the  Heidelberg  and  Carolina 
contingents,  supplemented  from  other  commandos,  began  the  ascent 
of  the  hill.  Three  spurs,  precipitous  projections,  faced  the  Boer 
positions.  Up  these  the  advance  was  made.  The  horses  were  left 
under  the  first  terrace  of  rocks.  Scaling  the  steep  hill,  the  Boers 
found  that  the  English  had  improved  the  opportunity  and  intrenched 
heavily.  Between  the  lines  of  trenches  was  an  open  veldt,  which 
had  to  be  rushed  under  a  heavy  fire,  not  only  from  rifles,  but  of 
lyddite  and  shrapnel  from  field  guns.  Three  forces  ascended  the 
three  spurs  coordinately,  under  cover  of  fire  from  the  Free  State 
Krupps,  a  Creusot  and  a  big  Maxim.  The  English  tried  to  rush  the 
Boers  with  the  bayonet,  but  their  infantry  went  down  before  the 
Boer  rifle  as  before  a  scythe. 

The  Boer  investing  party  advanced  step  by  step  until  two  in 
the  afternoon,  when  a  white  flag  went  up  and  150  men  in  the  front 
trenches  surrendered,  being  sent  as  prisoners  to  the  head  laager. 
The  Boer  advance  continued  on  the  two  kopjes  east  of  Spion  Kop. 
Many  Boers  were  shot,  but  so  numerous  were  the  burghers  that 
the  gaps  filled  automatically.  Toward  twilight  they  reached  the 
summit  of  the  second  kopje,  but  did  not  get  further.  The  British 
Maxims  belched  flame,  but  a  wall  of  fire  from  the  Mausers  held 
the  English  back.     Their  center,  under  this  pressure,  gradually  gave 


6;](;  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

way  and  broke,  abandoning  the  position.  The  prisoners  speak 
liighly  of  the  bravery  of  the  burghers,  who,  despising  cover,  stood 
against  the  sky-line  edges  of  the  summit  to  shoot  the  Dublin 
Fusiliers,  sheltered  in  the  trenches.  Firing  continued  for  some 
time,  and  then  the  Fusiliers  and  the  Light  Horse,  serving  as 
infantry,  threw  up  their  arms  and  rushed  out  of  the  trenches. 
The  effect  of  the  abandonment  of  Spion  Kop  by  the  English  can 
hardly  be  gauged  as  yet,  but  it  must  prove  to  be  immense.  An 
unusually  high  proportion  of  lyddite  shells  did  not  explode. 

A  London  war  con'espondent,  writing  from  Frere  Camp,  Janu- 
ary 26,  described  the  action  at  Spion  Kop  as  follows: 

"I  have  just  ridden  in  here,  having  left  General  Buller's  forces 
in  the  new  positions  south  of  the  Tugela,  to  which  they  retired  in 
consequence  of  the  reverse  at  Spion  Kop.  The  fighting,  both  before 
and  after  the  occupation  of  the  mountain,  was  of  a  desperate  char- 
acter. Spion  Kop  is  a  precipitous  mountain  overtopping  the  whole 
line  of  kopjes  along  the  Upper  Tugela.  On  the  eastern  side  the 
mountain  faces  Mount  Alice  and  Potgieter's  Drift,  standing  at 
right  angles  to  the  Boer  central  postion  and  Lyttleton's  advanced 
position.  The  southern  point  descends  in  abrupt  steps  to  the  lower 
line  of  kopjes.  On  the  western  side,  opposite  the  right  outposts  of 
WaiTen's  force,  it  is  inaccessibly  steep  until  the  point  where  the  nek 
joins  the  kop  to  the  main  range.  Then  there  is  a  gentle  slope,  which 
allows  easy  access  to  the  summit.  The  nek  was  strongly  held  by 
the  Boers,  who  also  occupied  a  heavy  spur  parallel  ^vith  the  kopje, 
where  the  enemy  was  concealed  in  no  fewer  than  thirty-five  rifle 
pits,  and  w^as  thus  enabled  to  bring  to  bear  upon  our  men  a  damag- 
ing cross  fire,  the  only  possible  point  for  a  British  attack  being  the 
southern  side,  with  virtually  sheer  precipices  on  the  left  and  right. 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH         637 

"A  narrow  footpath,  admitting  men  in  single  file  only,  to  the 
summit,  opens  into  a  perfectly  flat  table  land,  probably  of  300 
square  yards  area,  upon  which  the  Boers  had  hastily  commenced 
to  make  a  transverse  trench.  Our  men  were  able  to  occupy  the 
further  end  of  this  table  land,  where  the  ridge  descended  to  another 
flat,  which  was  again  succeeded  by  a  round,  stony  eminence  held 
by  the  Boers  in  great  strength.  The  ridge  held  by  our  men  was 
faced  by  a  number  of  little  kopjes  at  all  angles,  whence  the  Boers 
sent  a  concentrated  fire  from  their  rifles,  supported  by  a  Maxim- 
Nordenfeldt  and  a  big  long-range  gun.  What  with  the  rifles,  the 
machine  guns  and  the  big  gun,  the  summit  was  converted  into  a 
perfect  hell.  The  shells  exploded  continually  in  our  ranks,  and  the 
rifle  fire,  from  an  absolutely  unseen  enemy,  was  perfectly  appalling. 
Reinforcements  were  hurried  up  by  General  Warren.  l>nt  tiioy  had 
to  cross  a  stretch  of  flat  ground  which  was  literally  torn  up  by  the 
flying  lead  of  the  enemy.  The  unfinished  trench  on  the  summit 
gave  very  questionable  shelter,  as  the  enemy's  machine  guns  were 
so  accurately  trained  upon  the  place  that  often  sixteen  shells  fell 
in  the  trench  in  a  single  minute. 

"Mortal  men  could  not  permanently  hold  such  a  position.  Our 
gallant  fellows  held  it  tenaciously  for  twenty-four  houi-s,  and 
then,  taking  advantage  of  tlie  dark  night,  abandoned  it  to  the 
enemy." 

On  February  1  it  was  given  out  that  the  total  list  of  casualties 
above  the  Tugela  was  1,985  men  and  officers  and  200  missing.  It 
was  thought  at  first  that  Buller's  retreat  meant  the  abandonment 
of  Ladysmith,  but  a  more  hopeful  feeling  prevailed  after  the  opening 
of  Parliament.  The  Queen's  speech  gave  no  indication  of  an  aban- 
donment of  the  struggle.     The   London    Times  called  Spion    Kop  a 

35 


638  THE  STOKY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

"second  Yorktovvn,"  but  insisted  on  the  dispatch  of  50,000  more 
men  to  South  Africa. 

Mr.  Wyndham,  in  behalf  of  the  government,  declared  in  the 
House  of  Commons  that  Great  Brittain  would  shortly  have  in  South 
Africa  180,000  regulars,  7,000  Canadions  and  Australians,  and  26,000 
South  African  volunteers,  making  a  total  of  213,000  troops,  w^ith  452 
guns. 

As  we  have  stated,  the  relief  of  Kimberley  had  become  a  mili- 
tary necessity.  Should  that  place  (with  a  similar  fate  impending 
over  Ladysmith)  fall,  the  moral  result  to  British  prestige  would  be 
disastrous,  while  the  encouragement  to  the  Boer  cause  would  be 
almost  beyond  estimate.  Interest  for  the  hour  centered  in  the 
second  attempt  of  General  Buller  to  establish  his  forces  on  the 
north  side  of  Tugela  River  and  thus  to  relieve  Ladysmith.  On 
January  23,  General  Warren  captured  the  formidable  eminence 
known  as  Spion  Kop.  It  appeared  to  possess  great  military  value, 
but  proved  to  be  too  steep  for  the  ascent  of  artillery,  beside  which 
it  was  totally  lacking  in  water.  Worse  than  all,  it  was  fully  com- 
manded by  the  Boer  artillery  on  other  heights.  Under  such  condi- 
tions, the  second  attempt  to  relieve  Ladysmith,  by  outflanking  the 
Boers  on  the  West,  was  an  utter  failure.  The  attempt  was  a  costly 
one,  for  the  operations  resulted  in  271  killed,  1,066  wounded  and 
293  missing. 

It  looked  for  the  week  following  as  if  the  large  force  of  Gen- 
eral Buller  was  lying  idle  in  its  intrenched  camp  at  Chiveley,  but 
that  indomitable  commander  was  preparing  for  a  third  attempt, 
which  was  begun  on  February  5.  This  time  he  crossed  at  Pot- 
gieter's  Drift  and  at  Schiet  Drift,  and  took  possession  of  Vaalkrantz 
ridge   on  the  direct  road  to   Ladysmith.     Once   more  the  British 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH         639 

were  forced  back  across  the  Tugela,  with  24  killed,  382  wounded 
and  5  missing.  Those  frontal  attacks  were  fatally  hopeless  from 
the  first. 

Meanwhile,  the  hopes  of  the  nation  were  fixed  upon  the  popular 
and  brilliant  "Bobs,"  as  Lord  Roberts  is  affectionately  called,  and 
Lord  Kitchener,  who  left  Cape  Town  for  the  front  early  in  February, 
though  the  public  could  only  guess  their  destination.  It  was  soon 
known,  however,  that  they  had  gone  to  headquarters  south  of  the 
Modder  River,  from  which  point  a  movement  was  begun  on  February 
11th  under  the  direction  of  Lord  Robei-ts,  for  the  invasion  of  the 
Orange  Free  State. 

As  a  feint  to  deceive  the  Boers,  General  Macdonald  led  an 
expedition  to  Koodesberg,  fifteen  miles  to  the  westward.  A  force 
of  cavalry  under  the  orders  of  General  French,  which  hud  arrived 
from  the  south  to  join  General  Methuen's  division,  crossed  the  Riet 
River  at  the  Dekiel  and  Waterval  Drifts,  and  the  next  day  French 
forced  a  passage  of  the  Modder  River  at  the  Klip  and  Rondeval 
Drifts,  and  entered  Kimberley  on  the  evening  of  the  15th.  On  the 
same  day,  Jacobsdal,  southeast  of  Kimberley,  and  an  important 
base  of  supplies  for  the  Boers,  was  occupied  by  Lord  Roberts.  No 
serious  resistance  had  been  offered  by  the  Boers  and  the  reports 
were  that  General  Cronje's  army  was  in  full  retreat.  General 
Methuen  had  remained  at  Magersfontein  and  General  Kelly- Kenny's 
force  was  left  in  charge  of  the  drifts  on  the  Modder  River  east  of 
Kimberley. 

This  success  was  the  first  real  light  amid  the  gloom  that  had 
hung  like  a  pall  over  England  for  weeks.  The  news  caused  the 
wildest  rejoicing,  and  Roberts  became  the  hero  of  the  hour.  "This 
is  the  beginning  of  the   end"  was  the  expression  in  nearly  every 


040  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

one's  mouth;  "the  tide  has  turned  and  the  Boers  and  their  cause 
will  now  be  ground  to  powder."  But  the  more  thoughtful  saw  that  im- 
portant work  of  the  hardest  nature  still  confronted  the  British  armies. 

There  had  been  much  suffering  in  Kimberley.  For  two  months 
horseflesh  was  the  daily  diet;  all  meal  had  been  consumed 
and  the  horses  were  starving.  Those  that  died  were  siezed  and 
devoured  by  the  Kaffirs.  The  worst  times  were  after  the  Boers 
brought  up  their  100-pounder.  It  had  a  range  of  eight  miles  and 
was  planted  at  Kamfersdam,  four  miles  distant.  This  terrific  piece 
pounded  Avith  segment  and  shrapnel  shell,  many  women  and  chil- 
dren being  killed  during  the  bombardment.  While  the  excavations 
gave  protection  against  ordinary  artillery,  they  could  give  none 
against  this  awful  monster.  By  direction  of  Cecil  Rhodes,  most  of 
the  women  and  children  were  sent  down  into  the  mines  and  dis- 
tributed along  the  various  levels.  Thus  weeks  passed  without  their 
seeing  the  sun,  and  when  they  were  brought  up  to  the  surface 
they  looked  like  so  many  denizens  of  the  grave  that  had  risen  from 
the  dead. 

Expectation  was  at  the  highest  point  during  the  week  that 
followed,  for  every  one  knew  that  great  events  were  impending. 
Roberts  was  pressing  Cronje  hard  and  the  Boer  commander  was 
making  a  fight,  which  in  gallantry  and  heroism,  commanded  the 
admiration  of  the  world.  Greatly  outnumbered,  he  presented  an 
undaunted  front,  refusing  the  demand  to  surrender  and  expressing 
his  determination  to  die  with  his  command  before  yielding. 

Going  back  to  February  21,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  news 
from  South  Africa  made  it  clear  that  the  withdrawal  of  the  Boers 
before  the  British  advance,  in  both  the  western  and  eastern  cam- 
paigns, was  so  general  and  precipitate  that  it  could   be  accounted 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH  641 

for  only  as  a  compulsory  retreat.  By  rapid  marches,  General 
Roberts  advanced  unopposed  more  than  a  third  of  the  way  to 
Bloemfoutein.  Having  occupied  Kimberley,  General  Methuen 
restored  railway  communication  between  that  place  and  Cape 
Town.  Even  at  that  early  date,  there  were  persistent  reports  that 
General  Kitchener  had  practically  surrounded  Commandant  Cronje's 
army  and  held  it  at  his  mercy.  Finding  his  position  l)etwcen  the 
Modder  and  Kimberley  untenable,  Cronje  executed  ;i  masterly 
retreat,  often  turning  and  inflicting  severe  losses  upon  the  British 
when  they  pressed  him  hard. 

A  dispatch  dated  February  23,  showed  that  Roberts  really  had 
the  Boers  surrounded  at  Koodoes  Rand  Drift,  and  though  Cronje 
was  making  a  splendid  defense,  his  situation  was  hopeless.  The 
Boers,  supposed  to  number  8,000  men,  though  their  force  was  much 
less,  were  intrenched  in  the  bed  of  Modder  River  at  a  point  whore 
the  stream  makes  a  sharp  turn,  beside  which  they  occupied  the  hills 
on  the  south  bank.  The  British  having  completed  their  circle 
around  this  position,  a  fearful  fire  was  poured  upon  the  Boers  from 
all  sides.  The  liopes  of  the  latter  were  based  upon  the  arrival  of 
reinforcements.  Convinced  that  an  assault  would  entail  a  tremen- 
dous loss  of  life,  Roberts  wisely  decided  to  limit  his  operations  to  a 
bombardment,  and  to  giving  his  attention  to  the  cxpectetf  rein- 
forcements. There  was  desperate  and  bloody  fighting  on  Sunday, 
February  18,  in  which  both  sides  suffered  severely,  and  each  dis- 
played tlie  greatest  bravery. 

But  there  is  a  limit  to  human  ability,  and  Hit'  brave  Cronje 
was  caught  in  a  veritable  death  traj),  as  he  hinisolf  was  soon  com- 
pelled to  see  was  the  fact.  The  reinforcements  which  he  expected 
were  defeated,  and  in  a  dispatch  dated  on  the  morning  of  February 


042  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

27,  General  Roberts  announced  the  unconditional  surrender  of 
Cronje  with  all  his  force.  A  few  hours  later,  the  particulars  were 
given  in  the  following  message: 

"Paardeberg,  February  27,  11:20  A.  M. 

"From  information  received  from  the  Intelligence  Department 
it  became  apparent  that  the  Boer  forces  were  becoming  depressed 
and  discontented.  This,  no  doubt,  had  been  accentuated  by  the 
disappointment  caused  by  the  fact  that  the  Boer  reinforcements 
had  been  defeated. 

"I  resolved,  therefore,  to  bring  pressure  to  bear  on  the  enemy's 
trenches.  We  pushed  forward  so  gradually  as  to  contract  his  posi- 
tion and  at  the  same  time  I  bombarded  heavily.  This  was  materi- 
ally added  to  by  the  arrival  of  four  six-inch  howitzers  which  were 
brought  from  De  Aar.  In  carrying  out  these  measures  the  captive 
balloon  greatly  assisted  in  giving  the  necessary  information  as  to 
the  disposition  of  the  enemy. 

"At  three  o'clock  this  morning  a  most  dashing  advance  was  made 
by  the  Canadian  regiment  and  the  engineers,  supported  by  the 
First  Gordons  and  the  Second  Shropshires,  which  resulted  in  our 
gaining  a  point  600  yards  nearer  the  enemy  and  80  yards  from  his 
trenches,  where  our  men  intrenched  and  maintained  the  position 
till  morning.  It  was  a  gallant  deed,  worthy  of  our  colonial  soldiers, 
and  one  which,  I  am  glad  to  say,  was  attended  with  comparatively 
slight  loss. 

"This  apparently  precipitated  matters.  At  daylight  a  letter 
signed  by  Cronje  was  sent  in  under  a  flag  of  truce,  in  which  he 
stated  that  he  surrendered  unconditionally.  In  my  reply  I  told 
Cronje  he  must  present  himself  at  my  camp  and  his  force  must 
come  out  of  the  laager  after  laying  down  their  arms. 

"At  seven  o'clock  I  received  Cronje  and  in  the  course  of  the 
conversation  Cronje  asked  for  kind  treatment  at  our  hands;  also  that 
his  wife,  grandson,  private  secretary,  adjutant  and  servants  might 
accompany  him  w^herever  he  might  be  sent.  I  reassured  him  and 
told  him  his  request  would  be  complied  with.  I  told  him  a  gen- 
eral officer  w^ould  be  sent  with  him  to  Cape  Town  to  insure  his 
being  treated  with  proper  respect  and  that  he  would  start  to-day. 

"The    prisoners    number    about    three    thousand    and   will   be 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH        643 

formed  into  commandos  under  their  own  officers.  They  will  leave 
here  to-day,  reaching  Modder  River  to-morrow,  whence  they  will 
be  sent  to  Cape  Town  in  detachments." 

In  a  later  dispatch,  the  number  of  prisoners  was  given  as 
about  4,000,  of  whom  some  1,150  were  Free  Staters.  General 
Roberts  referred  to  the  "  very  successful  attack  by  the  royal 
Canadian  contingent  on  the  enemy's  trenches  this  morning".  In  a 
message  to  the  Governor  General  he  characterized  the  conduct  of 
the  Canadians  at  Paardeberg  as  worthy  of  their  colonial  comrades, 
and  gave  the  following  partial  list  of  killed  and  wounded : 

Killed. — Ontario:  Privates  Page,  Johnston,  Scott  and  Biggs- 
Quebec:  Corporal  Withy.  Nova  Scotia:  Privates  Ormand  and 
Withers.     New  Brunswick:    Private  Quinn. 

Wounded. — Quebec:  Major  Pelletier,  Sergeant  Pepiate,  Privates 
Harrison,  Sutherland,  Proulx,  Roy,  Theriault,  Bagot,  Seiberti 
Matheson,  Wasdel  and  Donahue  (late  United  States  Sixth  Infantry). 
Ottawa:  Privates  MacDonald,  Holland,  Croft,  Living,  Brady,  Thomas, 
Sprague,  Coombs,  Vickers.  Winnipeg:  Private  Hughes.  Nova 
Scotia:  Privates  Harris,  Harrison.  New^  Brunswick  and  Prince 
Edward  Island:     Privates  Durant,  Pelky,  Leavitt,  Simpson,  Fradsham. 

At  the  opening  of  the  sitting  of  the  House,  Premier  Laurier 
read  the  following  telegram  from  Sir  Alfred  Milnor  to  L(»rd  Minto, 
which  was  received  with  great  cheering: 

"Cronje  suiTendered  at  daylight  this  morning.  I  rongratulate 
you  upon  the  noble  sluiro  taken  by  the   troops    from    y»mr  colony." 

Subsequently  the  following  message  was  read: 

"Her  Majesty  the  Queen  desires  you  to  oxpro.'^s  to  the  people 
of  the  Dominion  her  admiration  of  the  gallant  conduct  of  her 
Canadian  troops  in  the  late  engagement  and  her  sorrow  at  the 
loss  of  so  many  brave  men.  "Chambeklain.  ' 


644  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

It  was  at  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  February  27,  that  the 
white  flag  was  hoisted  over  the  Boer  laager,  and  General  Cronje 
sent  a  message  to  the  British  headquarters  offering  to  surrender. 
General  Prettyman  was  sent  to  the  laager  to  bring  in  General 
Cronje.  He  came  back  with  the  Boer  commander  with  an  escort 
from  the  Twelfth  Lancers.  The  sun  shone  bright  and  the  air  was 
clear.  When  the  Boer  leader,  through  an  interpreter,  offered  to 
surrender,  Roberts  placed  him  on  his  right,  most  of  the  British 
commander's  staff  being  present.  The  interview  was  brief.  Cronje, 
as  stated  in  the  dispatch,  asked  that  his  wife,  his  grandson  and  his 
private  secretary  be  allowed  to  accompany  him,  and  the  requests 
were  granted.  It  was  said  that  when  Roberts  took  the  hand  of 
Cronje  he  remarked:    "You  have  made  a  gallant  defense,  sir." 

The  bravery  of  the  Canadians  in  attacking  Commander  Crouje's 
forces  was  the  general  theme  of  the  army,  for  it  sealed  the  fate  of 
the  enemy.  It  required  imperative  orders  to  prevent  them  from 
carrying  the  laager  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

Soon  after  the  surrender,  the  Queen   telegraphed   to  Roberts: 

"Accept  for  yourself  and  all  your  command  my  warmest  congratu- 
lations for  this  splendid  news,"  to  which  the  brave  old  soldier 
replied:  "All  my  command  are  deeply  grateful  for  your  Majesty's 
gracious  message.  The  congratulations  of  their  Queen  is  an  honor 
that  the  soldiers  will  dearly  prize." 

Tlie  triumphant  advance  of  Roberts  prepared  the  public  for 
the  thrilling  news  conveyed  in  the  following  dispatch  from  Buller: 

''Lyttletoti's  Camp,  March  1,  9:05  A.  M. 

Dundonald  with  Natal  carabineers  and  composite  regiments 
entered  Ladysmith  last  night.  The  country  between  me  and  Lady- 
smith  is  reported  clear  of  the  enemy.    I  am  moving  on  Nelthorpe." 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH  646 

A  few  hours  later  the  following  telegram  arrived: 

''Nelthorpe,  March  J,  r>:20  A.  M. 
I  have  jnst  returned  from  Ladysmith.  Except  for  a  small  rear 
guard  north  of  Surprise  Hill,  the  whole  of  the  enemy  that  has  been 
lately  besieging  Ladysmith  has  retired  in  hot  haste,  and  to  the  south 
of  the  town  the  country  is  quite  clear  of  them.  The  garrison  were 
on  half  a  pound  of  meal  a  day  and  were  supplementing  their  meal 
rations  by  horses  and  mules." 

During  the  week  preceding  this  important  event,  the  Boers 
fought  rear  guard  actions  in  order  to  allow  their  heavy  guns  and 
other  material  to  get  away,  and  when  that  was  done  they  vanished 
from  General  Buller's  front  and  left  the  road  open  to  Ladysmith 
which  was  in  such  dire  distress  that  it  could  have  held  out  but  a 
short  time  longer. 

But  Ladysmith  was  saved  at  last!  The  anguish  and  anxiety 
and  distress  and  periods  of  alternate  hope  and  despair  were  ended, 
and  all  England  broke  into  a  wild  outburst  of  thankfulness  and 
rejoicing,  for  indeed  the  event  was  a  momentous  one,  with  a  far 
reaching  and  all-important  meaning,  that  no  one  could  overestimate. 

And  here  is  a  fitting  closing  picture  of  the  first  chapter  in  the 
war  in  South  Africa: 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Lord  Dundonald's  cavaliy  in  Ladysmith, 
General  White  appeared  at  the  post  ofl5ce.  A  throng  gathered 
around  him  and  demanded  a  speech. 

The  day  is  closing  in.  The  gray-haired  veteran,  his  countenance 
showing  his  deep  emotion,  raised  his  hat  and,  standing  bareheaded, 
says:  "People  of  Ladysmith:  I  thank  you  all  for  the  heroic,  patient 
manner  in  which  you  have  assisted  mo  during  the  siege.  It  hurt 
me  teiTibly  to  cut  down  the  rations;  but  thank  God,  we  have  kept 
the  flag  flying." 


646  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

Then  as  the  darkness  deepens,  the  grim  old  veteran,  in  a  clear, 
strong,  but  slightly  tremulous  voice,  begins  singing  the  national 
anthem,  and  all  unbare  their  heads,  and  v^^ith  overflowing  hearts 
join  in  the  impressive  tribute  to  heaven  for  its  great  mercy. 

It  was  taken  for  granted  that  the  ultimate  result  of  Lord 
Roberts'  strategy  would  be  the  occupation  of  Bloemfontein.  The 
hero  of  Kandahar  might  have  accomplished  his  feat  within  a  few 
days  after  the  defeat  of  Cronje's  army,  by  hurrying  General  French's 
division  to  the  practically  defenseless  capital  of  the  Orange  Free 
State,  but  he  had  in  mind  a  flank  movement  which  might  be  suc- 
cessful in  surprising  the  Boer  force  before  the  railroad  stock  could 
be  destroyed.  Lord  Roberts  had  demonstrated  that  he  was  a  past 
master  in  the  art  of  furnishing  transport,  and  his  plan  was 
worth  trying,  he  thought.  After  several  skirmishes,  the  British 
were  entirely  successful,  and  March  13,  the  British  flag  floated 
over  the  executive  mansion  so  hastily  abandoned  by  President 
Steyn.  With  commendable  modesty  the  commander  of  the  English 
forces  apprised  the  war  ofiQce  of  the  occupation  in  the  following 
official  dispatch: 

'^Bloemfontein^  Tuesday,  March  13,  8  P.  M. 

"By  the  help  of  God,  and  the  bravery  of  Her  Majesty's  soldiers, 
the  troops  under  my  command  have  taken  possession  of  Bloem- 
fontein. The  British  flag  now  flies  over  the  presidency,  evacuated 
last  evening  by  Mr.  Steyn,  late  president  of  the  Orange  Free  State. 
Mr.  Eraser,  member  of  the  late  executive  government;  the  mayor, 
the  secretary  of  the  late  government,  the  landrost  and  other  officials 
met  me  two  miles  from  the  town  and  presented  me  with  the  keys 
of  the  public  offices.  The  enemy  have  withdrawn  from  the  neigh- 
borhood and  all  seems  quiet.  The  inhabitants  of  Bloemfontein 
gave  the  troops  a  cordial  welcome." 

Immediately  he   had   installed   General   Prettyman   as  military 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LADYSMITH  647 

governor  of  Bloemfontein,  Lord  Roberts  sought  by  proclamation, 
and  the  exercise  of  kindly  offices,  to  induce  the  burghers  of  the 
Free  State  to  abandon  the  cause  of  Kruger.  From  his  newly  estab- 
lished capital  at  Kroonstad,  Mr.  Steyn  replied  with  counter  proc- 
lamations to  his  countrymen,  even  issuing  his  famous  "fight  or 
be  shot"  order.  Never  in  the  history  of  the  British  occupation  of 
a  portion  of  South  Africa  had  such  a  celebration  been  seen  as  that 
which  marked  the  observance  of  St.  Patrick's  Day  in  Bloemfontein. 
The  Irish  regiments  shared  their  enthusiasm  with  burgher  and 
soldier,  and  Kipling  added  to  the  gayety  of  nations  by  his  trii)ute 
of  one  stanza  on  the  "badge  of  Ireland."  Diplomats  began  to  fear 
that  Lord  Roberts'  era  of  good  feeling  would  deprive  the  Trans- 
vaal leaders  of  the  support  of  the  Free  Staters,  so  general  and 
contagious  was  the  new  born  desire  to  get  under  the  protection  of 
the  British  flag.  Tranquil  possession  of  homes,  which  some  of  the 
former  soldiers  in  the  Boer  army  had  thought  were  to  bo  con- 
fiscated by  the  victors,  was  more  than  Mr.  Steyn  could  combat 
with  his  proclamations.  Some  Boers  refused  to  believe  that  Lord 
Roberts'  good  offices  were  to  establish  tranquility.  "The  Boers 
will  trek  again,"  said  a  former  member  of  the  Free  State  govern- 
ment. "But  where  can  they  go  to  escape  the  British  flag?"  asked 
a  veteran  correspondent  with  the  British  forces.  "New  homes  may 
be  found  in  German  Damaraland  or  Portuguese  West  Africa.  But 
are  the  burghers  prepared  to  withstand  the  hardships  of  such  a 
trek?  The  Kalahari  desert  presents  almost  insurmountable  obstacles. 
Oxen  would  bo  at  a  great  premium,  and  only  the  most  fortunate 
possessors  of  cattle  would  be  able  to  make  the  trek." 

Such  news  as  was  permitted  to  come  from    Bloemfontein,  indi- 
cated that  the  pacification   plan  of  Lord  Roberts  had  a  corollary— 


648  THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 

he  would  make  the  former  capital  the  base  of  future  operations  in 
the  direction  of  the  Transvaal,  possibly  deciding  to  invade  with 
three  or  more  complete  armies. 

Before  the  English  public  will  be  greatly  pleased  over  further 
advances  towards  Pretoria,  Maf eking,  with  its  gallant  garrison, 
should  be  relieved,  said  the  critics.  The  eyes  of  the  world  have 
been  directed  towards  that  "scorched  city  of  the  veldt"  where 
Colonel  Baden-Powell's  command,  reinforced  by  municipal  volunteer 
troops,  has  successfully  repulsed  the  Boers  in  many  attacks.  Reduced 
to  rations  scarcely  sufiBcient  to  keep  life  in  emaciated  bodies,  com- 
pelled to  husband  every  morsel  of  horse  and  mule  flesh,  the 
besieged  frequently  heliographed  "all  well."  But  Great  Britain  is 
apprehensive  that  Colonel  Plumer's  column  will  be  too  late  to  save 
the  gan-ison.  The  magnitude  of  operations  for  the  relief  of  Mafe- 
kiug  become  apparent  when  its  comparatively  isolated  position  is 
taken  into  account.  Situated  870  miles  from  Capetown,  and  in  a 
country  infested  with  the  enemy,  it  seems  almost  like  consigning 
the  rescuing  column  to  ambush  and  destruction  to  order  it  to  drive 
ofiE  the  enemy  and  release  the  beleaguered  forces.  Colonel  Plumer 
has  been  fighting  hard  in  the  vicinity  of  Lobatsi,  but  fourteen 
miles  from  the  bomb  proofs  of  Mafeking,  with  little  success.  Of 
greater  duration  than  the  famous  siege  of  Ladysmith,  that  of 
Mafeking  compares  with  Plevna  in  the  heroism  of  its  besieged. 
October  12  the  Boers  isolated  Mafeking.  Two  days  later  the  British 
encountered  the  enemy,  and  two  of  Colonel  Baden-Powell's  command 
were  killed.  Seventeen  British  were  wounded.  The  garrison,  exposed 
to  the  ravages  of  disease,  and  the  intermittent  attacks  of  the  enemy, 
has  lost  heavily.  Yet  the  indomitable  Baden-Powell  continues  to 
send   out  the  word,  "  we  will  hold  out." 


COMMON  BOER  NAMES  AND  THEIR  MEANING. 

The  language  of  the  Boers  is  that  of  Holland,  modified  by  two 
centuries  of  contact  with  the  native  African  tribes  (especially  the 
Kaffirs)  by  the  Malays,  and  by  French  and  Spanish  settlers  and 
traders. 

In  the  Boer  language  a  has  always  the  sound  that  it  haa  in  law. 

TJit  is  pronounced  ate. 

Ein  is  ain. 

Oo  has  the  long  sound  of  o  as  in  home. 

Ou  is  the  same  as  ow. 

Oe  is  the  equivalent  of  oo  in  boot. 

Ij  and  j  correspond  to  y  in  English. 

Berg  is  mountain,  the  plural  being  formed  by  the  addition  of 
en  after  the  g.  A  drift  is  a  ford,  and  a  dorp  a  town,  or  village. 
Thus  we  have  Krugersdorp,  Leydsdorp,  etc. 

Stad  also  means  town ;  and  ivinkel  (pronounced  winkle)  a 
store,  where  almost  everything  is  sold.  Fontcin,  as  the  name  implies, 
means  spring,  and  krantz,  a  cliff  or  precipice.  Boschveld  (pronounced 
bushfelt)  is  an  open  plain  covered  with  bush.  To  trek  is  to  travel  \ 
voortrekkers  meaning  pioneers. 

A  vlei  (flay)  is  a  jwol  of  water,  mostly  formc<l  in  the  rainy 
season.  Booinek  is  the  term  of  contempt  applied  to  Britishers,  and 
means  ^'  red-neck^';  it  is  not  infrequently  prelixed  by  the  adjective 
"verdomde"  (ferdomdy).  Booibaatjes  is  Cape  Dutch  for  "Tommy 
Atkins,"  or  redcoats.  A  stoep  (pronounced  stoop)  is  a  raised  platform 
in  front  of  a  house— something  like  a  verandah — on  wliich  tlie  Boer 
loves  to  take  his  weed. 

Vrouw  (meaning  housewife)  is  pronounced  "frow.'"  Slim  (often 
applied  to  General  Piet  Joubert)  is  cunning,  or  aiiful,  or,  slangiugly 
speaking,  Jiy.  Kercl  is  chap,  or  fellow.  Baas  (pronounced  so)  is 
master^  and   baas  op,   boss   up.      To   inspan    is  to   harn4jss,  or  tetlier, 

(049) 


050 


THE  STORY  OF  SOUTH  AFRICA 


horses  or  cattle;  to  tiitspan  is  to  unharness.     Uitspan  is  also  applied 
to  the  resting'  i)lace  of  the  animals.     Oorlorj  is  war. 

The  following  are  the  more  common  words  used  in  the  Trans- 
vaal, w^ith  their  proper  pronunciation  and  definition : 


Boer  (boo-er), 

Buitenlandor  (boy-ten-lont-er), 

Burgher  (buhr-ker), 

Commando, 

Jonklier  (yunk-hair), 

Kopje  (koppy), 

Ki-aal, 

Kriiger  (kree-er), 

Laager, 

Oom  (ome), 

Eaad  (rahd), 

Raadsheer  (rads-hair), 

Raadhuis  (rahd-hoys), 

Raadzael  (rahd-zaahl), 

Eand  (rahnt). 

Spruit  (sprate), 

Staat  (staht), 

Staatkunde  (staht-kuhn-de) 

Stad  (stot), 

Stemmer  (stemmer), 

Transvaal  (trons-fahl). 

Trek  (treck), 

Trekken  (trecken), 

Uit  (ate), 

Uitlander  (ate-lont-er), 

Vaal  (fahl), 

Vaderlandshafde  (fah-ter-lonts 

Veld  (felt), 

Veldheer  (felt-hair), 

Veldwachter  (felt-vock-ter), 

Volksraad  (fulks-rahd), 

Voorreght  (fore-rekt), 

Vreemdelling  (frame-da-Hiig) 

Witwaterstnind  (vit-vot-ters-ront). 

Wallaby 


Farmer 

Foreigner 

Citizen 

A  body  of  armed  men 

Gentlemen,  or  members  of  the  Volksraad 

A  hillock  or  piece  of  rising  ground 

Settlement ;  place  of  rounding  up 


Camp,  or  fortified  enclosure 
Uncle 
Senate 
Senator 
Senate  house 
Parliament  house 
Edge;  margin 
Creek 
State 
Politics 
City 
Voter;  elector 
Across  the  yellow  or  yellowish  river 
Draught; journey 
To  travel ;  to  draw 
Out ;  out  of 
Newcomer;  outsider 
Valley 

te),    ....     Patriotism 
Field ;  plain ;  open  lands 
Commandant-General 
Rural  Guard 
Lower  House  of  Congress 
Franchise ;  privilege 
Stranger 
Margin  of  the  white  water 
To  tramp  or  wander 


-leef 


GOVERNMENT  OFFICIALS 

SOUTH  AFRICAN  REPUBLIC  (Independent) : 

President — Stephanas  J.  Paulus  Kruger — "Com  Paul." 

Vice-President — General  P.  J.  Joubert. 
Secretary  of  State — F.  W.  Rcitz. 
Chairman  of  First  Volksraad — F.  G.  Wolmarans. 
Chairman  of  Second  Volksraad — N.  Steen  Kamp. 
Capital — Pretoria. 

ORANGE  FREE  STATE  (Independent) : 

President — M,  J.  Steyn. 
Secretary  of  State — P.  J.  Bijonadt. 
Chairman  of  the  Volksraad — C.  H.  Weasels. 
Chief  Justice  Supreme  Court — M.  de  Villiers. 
Capital — Bloemfontein 

BECHUANALAND  (English) : 

Governor — Sir  Alfred  Milner. 

Resident  Commissioner — Major  Hamilton  John  Goold- Adams. 

Cape  Town  governs  the  colony. 

NATAL  AND  ALSO  ZULULAND  (English) : 

Governor — Sir  Walter  F.  Hely-HutchinBon. 
Premier — Sir  Henry  Biuns. 
Attorney- General — Mr.  Bale. 
Capital — Pietermaritzburg. 

CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE  AND  CAPE  COLONY  (English) : 

Governor — Sir  Alfred  Milner. 

Imperial  Secretary — George  V.  Fiddcs. 

Commander  of  Troops — Lieut. -Gen.  Sir  William  T.  Butler. 

Premier — William  Philip  Schroin*  r. 

Speaker  of  tiik  Assembly — W.  B.  Borry. 

Capital — Capo  Town. 

BASUTOLAND  (English): 

Resident  Commissioner — Sir  Godfrey  Y.  Lagden. 
Capital — Maseru . 

(6BU 


DISTANCES  BY  RAILROAD  IN  SOUTH  AFRICA. 

The  British-Boer  war  has  emphasized  the  fact  that  South  Africa  is  a 
country  of  few  riiilroads,  vast  distances,  discouraging  topographical  conditions, 
and  few  good  seaports.  But  cities  and  places  comparatively  unknown  to  the 
world  are  now  marked  with  especial  significance  on  the  maps.  Precious  human 
blood  has  dyed  the  sun-baked  soil,  and  the  sieges  of  Kimberley,  Ladysmith  and 
Mafeking  will  live  in  history.  Many  other  places  that  were  insignificant  and 
scarcely  worthy  of  specification  on  the  maps  are  now  shown  in  big  type. 
Among  these  Avill  be  noticed,  Elandslaagte,  Paardesburg,  Estcourt,  Modder 
River,  Colenso,  Spion  Kop,  Glencoe,  Dundee,  Aliwal  North,  etc. 

But  four  railway  routes  pierce  the  interior,  running  from  as  many  seaports. 
The  chief  line,  that  which  runs  from  Cape  Town  to  Buluwayo,  the  present 
northern  terminus  of  the  projected  "Cape  to  Cairo"  road,  has  been  taxed  to  its 
greatest  capacity  by  the  English  army  as  a  means  of  transport  for  supplies  and 
soldiers.  The  trunk  line  north  from  Port  Elizabeth  taps  the  Cape  Colony 
territory  and  gives  access  to  the  Orange  Free  State.  The  road  leading  towards 
the  South  African  Republics  from  Durban,  the  Natal  seaport,  has  been  of 
incalculable  value  as  a  transport  system  for  the  British  army.  From  Lorenzo 
Marquez,  in  Portuguese  territory,  the  railroad  affords  the  most  direct  communi- 
cation with  Pretoria  and  Johannesburg.  But  for  the  neutrality  laws  this  line 
would  have  been  used  by  Great  Britain  for  the  invasion  of  the  Transvaal. 
Distances  between  principal  cities,  figured  by  the  most  direct  routes  from  the 
four  ocean  termini,  are  as  follows : 


Capetown  to  miles. 

Kimberley 647 

Mafeking 870 

Modder  River 622 

Nervals  Point 628 

Buluwayo 1,861 

Johannesburg 1,014 

Pretoria 1,040 

De  Aar 501 

Bloemfontein 750 

Naauwpoort 570 

Vryburg 774 

Paardesburg 672 

Delagoa  Bay  to  miles. 

Pretoria 349 

Johannesburg 895 

Bloemfontein 609 

MajubaHill 515 


Port  Elizabeth  to  miles 

Naauwpoort , .  270 

Norval's  Point 328 

Bloemfontein 450 

Kroonstad 590 

Johannesburg 714 

Pretoria 740 

Durban  to  miles 

Pietermaritzburg 70 

Ladysmith 189 

Spion  Kop 195 

Harrismith 249 

Glencoe 231 

Newcastle 268 

Laing's  Nek 301 

Volksrust 308 

Johannesburg 483 

Pretoria 511 


652 


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THE  LIBRARY 
SRS  ^t  Oi^  C  VLIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELAS 


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